The Apartment
by pigwiz
Summary: Yes, it's finished... or is it? You be the judge.
1. Sailing blind into the storm

The Apartment

1: Sailing blind into the storm.

She pulled into the parking lot of the Safeway Supermarket on SE King Road, parked her car, and sat. She was still a little overwhelmed. Four months ago she had been fairly happy… She was a supervisor at the main Seattle Post Office, she had been living with Jake, her boyfriend of a bit less than a year, and then she was offered this promotion. The problem was that it was in Milwaukie Oregon. The boyfriend turned into a total jerk… told her she couldn't go; he wouldn't follow her... like that made a difference. Things hadn't been all that great with him anyway. She'd packed her bags, sold what was hers that wouldn't fit in her car and left… it wasn't like there was anything in Seattle to keep her there.

She had also discovered a basic truth in life. School friends, even best friends (forever) didn't exactly _mean_ forever. Carly had married money… old money, east coast money, and lots of it. They had stayed in touch for a couple of years after she married, but then Sam had made the trip back east to the Hamptons to visit Carly and her husband. While there she overheard Carly making excuses to her husband about 'her working class ways'… well, suffice it to say that hadn't ended in the best vacation she'd ever had.

They hadn't spoken since.

Freddie had drifted away from everyone after college. He'd gotten some offers to work in California and took one, and basically escaped his mother. No one had really kept in touch after college… she had tried to call Freddie at his work three years ago, but was told he'd left two years before that and they had no idea where he was, or how to contact him. His mother had moved someplace in the Midwest seven or eight years ago.

Sam had landed a good job at the Seattle Post Office right out of high school. She had gotten promoted a couple of times, and now she had taken a Station Manager position here in Milwaukie, a 'burb of Portland. This was all good, except for the down side of moving. She'd been living in an Econo Lodge for the past three and a half months. The day before yesterday, Thursday, she had been told her probationary period was over, and had been offered the position. She took the job, of course, but now that her probation was over, so was her free room at the hotel. The Post Office would cut off the motel payments in two weeks. She had to find an apartment, quick. She picked up the map she had printed this morning and checked it again. There were no more apartment complexes in the area. Every decent place she had been to today was either full with a waiting list, or far to pricey. Now, it was nearly four… she was hungry and just wanted to go back to the motel and get some rest. She had more 'hunting' to do tomorrow.

She opened her door, gotten out and was heading toward the supermarket when she heard from off to the side;

"Sam? Sam Pucket? Is that really you?"

She turned to her left… the person who had called her was a dark haired fellow named Freddie Benson. He was standing near a car parked in front of her. Sam was stunned. She hadn't spoken to him since she had ended their weird relationship over ten years ago. Weird… yeah, she'd made it weird. It could have turned into something but… now, just look at him, he still had the boyish looks she'd loved back then... now it came with this sexy five o'clock shadow. She shook her head, rushed over and began to give him a hug. It was then that a dark haired woman got out of the passenger side of his car and said; "Fred, I'm sorry, but we really need to go. If you two would like to chat, invite her to our barbeque this evening."

Freddie nodded, agreeing with Ann, as he had quickly introduced her to Sam. He also made Sam promise to come to the barbeque at six. He gave her a quick hug, wrote the address and phone number on a scrap of paper. And then drove away with a wave.

Sam returned to her car thinking a few things… first, the grocery store could wait. She would take herself out to breakfast in the morning, and dinner would be covered at the Benson's barbeque. Second, she hoped she would hit it off with Freddie's (Fred now, it seemed) wife. She would stop on the way and pick up a bottle each of Riesling and Pinot Noir wine; those two would go with anything at all, and help with the good impression. Then at least she would know someone in the area.

It was four, she had two hours. She stopped at a liquor store, got the chilled wine, and returned to the motel and freshened up a bit. Sitting in the single chair with the TV on for background noise, she began to think… she'd had quite the fling with Freddie after High School. It had been sort of an on and off thing all through his college years. It probably could have gone someplace if she would have let it… but she had wanted to play the field and shut the thing down after it had gotten pretty hot and heavy a few times while they were 'on'.

Yeah, 'play the field'… she thought. Freddie had been an incredible lover. Thoughtful, kind… she was an idiot. She had ended up getting played by jerks and liars. Yep, check the mirror… idiot.

She also wondered just how Ann was going to react to her. She had no idea if Freddie had spilled about previous lovers. Ann had been blunt about leaving, but then softened the blow by inviting her by proxy to their home. She chuckled, wondering if 'Fred' had caught hell on the ride back to their home.

She was wearing a pair of loose fitting denim Bermuda shorts and sandals with a pullover sweater, since it could get chilly, and… she didn't want to put Ann off. She checked the time; five forty five, it was time to go. Her GPS had said the trip would take seventeen minutes from the motel.

Pulling up in front of the well maintained corner house, she smiled. Yep, this would be where Fredister would live… all the houses on the block had manicured lawns and shrubs… fresh looking paint on the houses… nothing out of place, anywhere. She parked across the street and made her way up the walk. Ringing the doorbell, she waited just a moment until Ann opened the door. Ann greeted her by name, thanked her for the wine and mentioned that Fred had said that they had grown up together as she led Sam through the house and into the kitchen. Ann put the wine in a cooler, offered Sam beer, wine or a wine spritzer, and told her Fred was out in the back someplace, and to make herself at home.

Sam thanked her, took a wine spritzer and stepped out through the open sliding door to a huge patio. She glanced about for a moment until she saw Freddie with his back to her, chatting with a group of people standing around a built in barbeque. She walked over to his side and said 'Ahem… you must be Mister Benson' with a smile. Fred turned, smiling from ear to ear saying 'You made it!' while pulling her into a bone crushing hug. Sam laughed and hugged him back. Fred made introductions to the small group he'd been chatting with, and then asked Sam if she would like to have a seat over at one of the tables and 'catch up'?

They sat down at one of the picnic tables strewn around the back yard and began 'catching up' in earnest. Sam went first; detailing her life after Freddie had left for California, without mentioning her failed relationships. They discussed Carly, who Freddie had lost contact with also, and how he had run into Spencer at a hotel lobby in New York. Spencer was now living in Greenwich Village still doing his art and pretty much sponging off his sister. Fred hadn't had time to do more than say hello, and get told by Spencer that Carly rarely took calls outside her circle of friends, but he could attempt to set up a lunch with her by contacting her husband's philanthropic concerns. He'd never tried. She had just finished telling him how she had come to be in Milwaukie when the fellow doing the barbeque, who had been introduced to her as Stuart, announced to the group; 'come and get it'. 'C'mon Sam, Stu's barbeque skills are legendary in the neighborhood. It's only hamburgers, but whatever ever he does to them are well worth it.' Freddie had said.

Sam was a bit upset that it had just gotten around to being Freddie's turn to tell her what he'd been up to. She also had made a couple of observations… a young fellow, maybe eight or nine had retrieved a ball from under their table and called Fred by his name. Freddie had mentioned he was Ann's son. So, Ann had probably been divorced. Also, Ann wore a wedding ring, Freddie didn't.

She and Freddie got their hamburger, potato salad, and beans, and returned to the table. In a moment, Fred got up, refreshed Sam's spritzer and got himself another beer. While he was gone, Ann took the seat next to Fred's, and Stu sat next to Sam. Fred had just started to take his seat when Sam asked 'So Ann, how did you two meet?' Ann had just taken a bite of her sandwich, and glanced up at Sam. Freddie stared back at Sam with a quizzical look.

'Oh, when he moved in next door, about a year ago…' Stuart answered. Sam now looked very confused. Ann began to chuckle… 'Sam, I am so sorry… you saw Fred and I at the grocery store and assumed… Stu is my husband, this is our home. Fred is our neighbor and good friend. I needed a ride to pick up a couple things. We took his car since ours was in the shop and I had to pick it up before four thirty. Fred here is as single as a dollar bill…'

'…And he's only single because he's resisted every single female within a twenty mile radius that Ann's tried to set him up with, including her sister!' Stu cut in.

Ann grinned at Sam… Sam looked stunned… Fred looked confused. Stu looked at Sam and his wife, and shook his head while thinking Fred would not last long now…

* * *

_**Hi!**_

_**Yep, here we go again!**_

_**Another fun filled ride**_

_**Guaranteed to make you…**_

* * *

**You _are_ going to leave a review, aren't you?**


	2. Rolling down the bay to old Millwaukie

The Apartment

2: Rolling down the bay to old Millwaukie

* * *

Dinner continued with some small talk, until Fred, Stu and another neighbor, Don began discussing this seasons prospects for the Sea Dogs; Portland's AA baseball team. Sam, Ann and Don's wife, Holly were busy getting acquainted and discussing Holly's potato salad. After a while of 'across the men' talk, Ann asked Sam and Holly to come with her into the kitchen, explaining that she had some rum soaked melons, and could use help serving them.

The three women began to carve out some melon balls from the spiked and un-spiked cantaloupes and watermelons. Un-noticed by Sam, was quite a bit of glances and raised eyebrows happening between Holly and Ann… there was an entire wordless conversation going on between the two.

"So Sam, you've known Fred for some time, haven't you?" Ann asked after a bit.

"Yeah… we pretty much grew up together, and did a web cast for a while when we were kids." Sam replied without looking up from her melon carving.

"Fred's got photos of you and that other girl, Cassie was it? Although he's never really mentioned the brunette." Holly said.

"Her name is Carly… so… he's mentioned me to you?" Sam said looking between Ann and Holly.

"I remember hearing about your web show when I was a kid… I don't think I ever saw it though…" Holy mused.

"Oh, I saw it a few times, with my boyfriend at the time… I'm pretty sure he had a crush on either you or the other girl." Ann said grinning.

"…but, you said Freddie's mentioned me?" Sam asked again.

"I was just waiting to see if you'd change the subject back to him mentioning you…" Ann said, smiling. "…yes, he's mentioned you on and off… a bit here and there. On the way home after we ran into you today, well, that's when I found out you two had dated." Ann continued.

Sam looked up from the melon, but didn't respond.

"So, you're still interested in him?" Holly asked.

Sam put the melon baler on the counter top and plopped down in a stool by the kitchen island. "I don't know… it's been ten years… there's a lot of water under the bridge at this point. I liked him… heck, I guess I kind of loved him, but I wanted 'excitement', and… well, I dumped him. Even if I was still interested, he'd probably laugh and…" Sam said shaking her head.

"I don't know… he kept talking about you until he dropped me off to pick up my car… so, you're single I take it?" Ann interjected.

Sam nodded; "Yep, I had a boyfriend in Seattle, but I left him there… it wasn't working, I would have left him anyway. This move just made it easier." Sam said.

"We need to get back out to the guests, Ann. Why don't we three meet for lunch tomorrow?" Holly interjected.

"I'd really like that, but I have to find an apartment, fast. Can we do it another time?" Sam asked.

"Mmmm… no. I think we may be able to cure your apartment search also. If what Holly and I come up with doesn't work, then we'll help you find a place, okay?" Ann stated.

Sam looked to Holly, who was nodding; "…oh, okay…" Sam said, confused.

The sliding door opened and Freddie stepped into the house with his phone to his ear. He spoke something into the phone, flipped it closed and stopped in front of Sam.

"Sam, I'm sorry but I just got a call from a client and have to go… they've screwed something up and are having a meltdown. Now I've got to fix it… Look, here's my card. Call me and we'll do lunch or something, on me!"

He offered Sam the card. She took it, read it and pulled out her phone and touched in a number. Freddie's phone began to ring. He flipped his phone open, read the screen and smiled.

"Okay, there's my number, so don't lose it." Sam said grinning.

Freddie gave his apologies to Ann and Holly, gave Sam a quick hug, and was gone. Sam turned back to Ann and Holly, and took one of the melon bowls.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" Sam asked them.

"Nope, husbands are outside. We'll discuss this tomorrow at lunch where we can have some privacy." Holly said while Ann nodded her agreement.

Sam looked at them, still confused, but nodded.

The rest of the evening was strange for Sam. She really didn't know anyone; she smiled, laughed at the jokes and basically kept quiet. Holly and Ann kept giving her 'knowing looks'… about what, she had no idea. She was quite confused and felt slightly out of place. Not because anyone made her feel like a square peg in a round hole… everyone was very kind. She just wasn't used to this, and had never been a social butterfly. She stayed on though… if for no other reason, to try and figure out just what Ann and Holly were planning… and she wasn't at all sure about this lunch. She really didn't have time to take off from looking for someplace to live. Sam finally got tired of attempting to second guess her two new 'friends' said her goodbyes, exchanged phone numbers, and left.

About ten thirty the next morning, while Sam was going over the newspaper, looking for some possible apartments, her phone chirped, announcing an incoming text.

'_The Deli, 4160 SE International Way. 11.45 Ann_'

She looked at the message for a moment and nearly messaged back an excuse of being too busy… but she wasn't, and she knew it. Mapping the address, she found it wasn't more than about ten minutes away… and she was hungry… besides, they did say they might be able to set her up with an apartment. Suddenly, she was curious about… she rummaged around for a moment until she found Freddie's card. She'd only glanced at the phone number last night, now she read it. All it said was his name, email address and phone number. No business or other information, not even his street address. Nothing…

She parked her car behind 'The Deli' at eleven forty two, and walked in the back entrance. They were both sitting at a table at the far side of the small sandwich shop. They greeted each other, made some small talk about nothing, ordered their lunch, then nothing, no one spoke.

"So, you know of an apartment?" Sam asked, breaking the silence.

"Maybe… but, we need to know…" Holly began.

"We need to know about a couple of things…" Ann said, cutting Holly off. "…we need to know first if you think you still have any feelings for Fred."

Sam looked exasperated, and began to reply, but Holly interrupted; "Look, I know how you must feel. You don't know us, we don't know you… and yes, this is pretty personal. But, we do know Fred, and we do know that he's dropped some hints, not that he'd know it, but hints none the less… things like pausing when he's discussing you or explaining something about you or showing us pictures of you and that other girl… or pictures of you and him. You know what I mean… so?"

"But, what's this got to do with an apartment?" Sam asked, obviously confused at this line of questions.

"Plenty… just tell us…" Ann responded.

Sam looked first at Ann, then at Holly. Frowned, sighed and slumped in her chair.

"I really don't know… it's been so long, and… and I broke it off with him… it wasn't a very clean break. I was stupid, I was eighteen… and really stupid. I'm pretty sure it really hurt him… I just don't know how I feel about him any more… besides, I just ended a lousy relationship in Seattle. I've got no intention of getting back with that ass, but still… I was with him for nearly a year."

"Are you over this guy? The ex guy in Seattle?" Ann asked.

"I was over him before the door closed." Sam answered with a grimace.

Holly smiled.

"Well Sam, here's the deal. Fred's house has a mother in law apartment attached to the back of the garage. It has its own entrance, and is completely private. It even has a tiny little kitchen area, but no stove or cook top, just a place for a small refrigerator and hot plate. It does have access to the house, into the kitchen. It was built by the previous owners for one of the in laws… I can't remember which at the moment since they moved about the time we moved in, and neither of us ever met them. They rented the house for three or four years, then sold it to Fred…" Ann said.

"And I know for a fact that the apartment is completely empty. Fred had Don's cousin paint the whole interior of the house about four months ago. Don was just in the apartment two weeks ago and mentioned to me that there was still masking tape on some of the doorknobs…" Holly interjected.

Sam was aghast; "You two aren't thinking…" Sam started to ask.

"Yes, we are. Look, we know how hard it is to find anyplace decent in the area. This would be perfect for you… and maybe him." Ann firmly stated.

"I can't think of anything less perfect… it could really get awkward." Sam said flatly.

"Or not…" Holly retorted.

"I can't think of a better way to get both of you… reacquainted. I mean at least you'd know how you felt, and how Fred feels about you. Right now you seem like you're in a sort of denial, afraid of a possible rejection. I also think Fred is kind of in shock. So try it, see what happens. Then at least you'd know. If it doesn't work, move. By that time you would have been able to find something. If things do work out, well, what better place to be than in his back yard… literally." Ann said.

Sam sat for a moment, then asked; "So, what's the deal? Why are you so interested?"

"Fred's a nice guy, he needs a wife..." Holly flatly stated.

"…or at least a decent girlfriend." Ann finished, Holly nodded.

"…a decent girlfriend?" Sam mused.

"He hasn't had the best of luck with women… and it seems that includes you, from what you've said." Holly said just as their food arrived.

They ate in relative silence for a while, until Sam said; "Okay, well how am I supposed to bring this up? Like I said, when I broke it off with him, it wasn't pretty. I was cruel… and, well it was not mutual. I think he would just tell me to get out of his life. I really don't want that kind of drama."

"You let us handle that. We'll find out by this afternoon and let you know one way or another. Don, Stu and the kids will be over at his house watching baseball this afternoon. Fred's got this huge television, so the guys go to his place to watch sports. It's just noon, now. The game starts at two… you'll know by three. Fair enough?" Holly asked.

"Wow, that fast, huh? Okay, I'm game if he is, I guess. If this works, I'd better start looking for some furniture. I sold most of mine up north." Sam said thoughtfully.

"Nope, you won't need too. The apartment is furnished. And… do you have a bikini? Fred's got an in ground pool and hot tub." Holly said.

"Oh! A pool! Yeah, I've got a bikini… and know how to use it!" Sam laughed.

* * *

So here is two

Please leave a review

I'm working on three

Just wait and see!

:pig~

* * *

Oh! Do you like angst? Well, just trot on over and find the collaboration I'm doing with BoxOfTrinkets! It's called 'Until You're Mine Again'. It's seddie, of course! (with a good ending… but not yet… the ending is a few chapters away yet!) Also, my buddy, KingXLeon21 has a couple things out at the moment. You should read 'em!

[grin]


	3. Clear the Track, Let the Bullgine Run

The Apartment

3: Clear the Track, Let the Bullgine Run

* * *

They ate in relative silence, Sam being lost in thought while Ann and Holly stole glances at Sam, and each other. Sam wasn't paying any attention to either of them since much to her chagrin, the memories she had been trying to suppress since yesterday flooded her mind;

…they had never really 'dated'. After the initial break up while in their Junior year, they didn't really see much of each other except for school and at their friend Carly's apartment. They had remained good friends, though, with their normal bickering hiding an undercurrent of something else. Neither of them were idiots, they knew what they wanted; and it was each other… But, they managed to skirt the issue and their feelings for some time. This nonsense went on until they ran into each other at a party about a month before high school graduation. Both had been there with dates, and both of their 'dates' were being stupid. Freddie's date had sequestered herself with a group of her friends, and was basically ignoring him. Sam's date had been in the back yard doing keg stands until he had passed out. They had run into each other in the crowded kitchen; Sam looking for something to eat while Freddie wanted to wash some sticky sauce off of his hands. The chance meeting hadn't started out as anything other than commiserating with each other on their poor choices of dates for the night. It had ended up with them both topless in a large green house at the back of the property. Afterward, they were a constant duo… not really a couple, but obviously together by unspoken mutual consent. By graduation even that had changed as they began referring to each other as "SO's". That summer, directly after high school graduation, had been one of the most difficult, but most satisfying she had ever experienced. First and foremost; she and Freddie were together. Next, her aunt, who worked at the Post Office, had mentioned that there were some openings. Sam had applied, passed the test and been hired in July. The down side of the summer, what made it difficult, was her best friend was moving away for school… but then, there was Freddie. By the end of August she was able to afford to move out of her mother's house and into a tiny studio apartment… which, in turn, also deepened the relationship she had with Freddie. He still officially lived at home, but spent most of his time with Sam. He had gotten a job at a Radio Shack in a mall that gave him a few bucks, and would work around his up coming school schedule. That was when their troubles started… She worked nights, he worked days. Sam worked with mostly men, and began to make some friends with some of the guys from work. Freddie was jealous… it didn't start out badly, but eventually, after a few months, it exploded in the form of a huge fight between them. The guys _were_ just friends, but Freddie accused her of turning into her mother… that was it; she threw him out. Within hours they had reconciled, but it was then that she had started thinking that Freddie was very set in his ways, and she craved a bit of '_excitement_'. Oh yeah, excitement… that idea didn't turn out very well. After another couple of months Sam told Freddie she needed some 'space', Freddie moved out and that was it. They hadn't spoken since up until yesterday. And now, here she was having lunch with two women that thought she and Freddie should try it again… maybe they were right…

The three women finished their lunch, split the bill, and were walking to their cars when Sam blurted; "So, what does he do anyway?"

Ann and Holly both stopped walking.

"You mean you don't know?" Ann asked as Holly looked on.

Sam shook her head; "No…" She said as she stopped walking while looking at them both.

"Well, why would she know? Nobody knows except us and a few others…" Holly said, turning to Ann.

Ann shrugged, and nodded while Sam joined them forming the third leg of the triangle standing in the middle of the parking lot.

"Have you ever heard of 'The Pirate Moons of the Orion Spur', the sci fi book series" Holly asked, turning back to Sam.

"Sure, who hasn't? I've never read them though. It's Sci Fi stuff… I've never been into sci fi. I heard that some outfit is going to make a movie based on the first books in the series. Freddie's involved in the movie? How cool! Is he doing some modeling or tech stuff? He was always good with computers and cameras and stuff." Sam replied.

"He's involved in the movie alright…" Holly mumbled.

Sam cocked her head to the side, looking confused.

"Sam, he's an author. He wrote the books." Ann said grinning while turning to walk away.

Ann and Holly continued on to their car, leaving a stunned Sam standing in the middle of the parking lot. In a few moments, they pulled up next to Sam, still in the middle of the parking lot. Holly rolled down the window, telling Sam that they would be calling her within a couple hours, and to keep her phone handy. With that, they drove away.

Sam found herself sitting in the driver's seat of her car. She had no recollection of how long she had been there or how she got there. This information had put her in a complete daze…

The little bit she knew about the series of books was that there were eleven of them... there had recently been some big hoopla in the news about that, when the eleventh book in the series came out. The first book was published about seven years ago, and all of them were best sellers. The series has a huge following… there was even a large fan base that did role playing and conventions. The author was a complete recluse; he refused to do any interviews except over the phone, and didn't do those often. The guys name was supposed to be 'Ben Nubsen'… HOLY… one of her pet names for Freddie used to be _Nub Bensen_!

She flipped open her phone and punched up the web… doing a wiki search, it came back with:

'_The Pirate Moons of the Orion Spur' by B. Nubsen_.

She quickly scanned the wiki article…

_Eleven books in the series with more planned…_

_First in the series went unpublished… Then self published by the author…_

_Initially offered only at independent booksellers in the San Francisco Bay area…_

_The initial pressing of 750 copies sold out in less than 36 hours…_

_Total sales estimated at over 250 million copies…_

_The series has garnered seven Hugo and nine Nebula awards, overall…_

She scanned through the plot explanation and into the character list. It was then she had a final revelation. She read; _…the heroine in the series is a young blonde woman known simply as 'The Demon'. Book three reveals her actual name is Samuella_…

Her eyes were riveted to the partial sentence; she sucked in a breath and read it again…

'…_the heroine in the series is a young blonde woman known simply as 'The Demon'. Book three reveals her actual name is Samuella_…'

Shaking her head to clear her stupor, she started her car, and checked the time; one forty five. It was just two as she pulled up in front of Freddie's house and got out of the car. She walked up the sidewalk and was about to ring the doorbell. She could hear people talking, but not make out what was being said as Ann and Holly were talking to Freddie, along with the sounds of a baseball game just starting from a television.

She tried the door and found it wasn't locked. 'Screw this!' she thought and flung open the door…

"YOU ASSHOLE! YOU STOLE _ME_! YOU TURNED _ME_ INTO SOME CHARACTER AND…" Sam shrieked as she entered the house.

Everyone turned to look at the crazy woman that had just thrown open the door and began yelling as she stormed into the house. They had all been standing in the front room getting ready to watch the game. As soon as she entered hey had all fanned out, with Fred in the middle of the room. Sam had stomped up to him, and just as she had said 'AND'… she decked him with a left hook to Fred's jaw.

She stood over him for a moment, looked around at the stunned expressions, turned and left. Fred sat up, holding his jaw, looking bewildered and obviously dazed by the sudden attack.

In moments, they could hear her car squealing its tires as she drove away.

* * *

_Well there's chapter three_

_Ain't it sweet!_

_Leave me a review_

_It would be a treat!_

* * *

Are you wondering about the chapter titles yet?

**=Required reading=**

Anything by these fine authors:

KingxLeon21

heartlines

Moviepal

WhiteKnightro

(have your tissues handy)

WildPomegranate

* * *

I want to thank **_EVERYONE_** for the support you've given this story. The reviews, fav's and followers are heartwarming... thank you all so very much! :pig~


	4. Da pacem, Domine

The Apartment

4: Da pacem, Domine

* * *

She sat in the tiny motel room, fuming. The bastard had actually used her as the basis for some character in a book. She felt… violated, but she couldn't fathom why. It wasn't as if anyone _knew _it was her… but it still cheapened whatever it was that they had shared all those years ago. She felt very, very used. Surprisingly, she also felt very liberated. She had felt guilty about how they had split up, how she had split them up. It hadn't been any knock down drag out call the cops fight… she'd told him about the 'needing space' thing, and buffered the blow with explaining to him how he also needed to 'expand his horizons'… what a load of crap. She'd taken those lines out of some cheap romance novel her mother had left laying around. He'd looked broken for a moment, and then became stoic. He packed the few things he had kept at her apartment in an old pillowcase, and left... he hadn't even looked back when he walked out the door. All that guilt seemed to vanish like, like a storm cloud blowing out to sea… she chuckled. The storm cloud line was something else she remembered from her mother's romance novel.

She had expected vehement phone calls… but they hadn't come… yet. She checked the time, it was six ten o'clock. It had been over four hours since… since she had made her displeasure known. She wasn't at all sure why she felt a bit let down that there had been no phone calls… no screaming… ranting. One good thing; they didn't know where she was. They knew where she worked, but not where she was staying. No one had ever asked.

She was tired and hungry, lunch had been a long time ago, and she had been so angry she hadn't even thought about eating. Now that the anger was subsiding, she knew it was time to eat. She had never made it to the grocery store, but she now thought that it might be a good distraction, besides, she _was_ hungry. She had no intention of going back to the supermarket where she had run into him, but there were a number of markets closer to the motel.

While pushing her shopping cart down the aisles of the market, she began to wonder why he lived _here_. Why here in a very middle class 'burb of Portland. He had to be getting truckloads of money from all those books and the movie stuff… movie stuff! That means they'll be making toys… collectables he used to call them... toys based on her. Well, not exactly her, but however he had portrayed her in the book… she had an idea. Looking around, she stopped the next employee she saw and asked if they had a book section; they did. Checking through the section, she saw a few copies of book nine, a few more of ten, and about twenty of the newest, book eleven. She didn't know why, but suddenly she had an unquenchable urge to see just how he _had_ portrayed her. She picked up the newest in the series, and put it back down. She wanted to start at the beginning and see just what the jackass had done… how bad he had made her out to be.

She finished her shopping and drove back to her motel. She made herself a sandwich and drug out her laptop. While she was eating, she was able to ascertain that the older books were now offered in 'hardbound sets'. This new set of books were kind of pricey… but when these same _new _hard bound sets came out, it had killed the price of the original paperback editions. These, sold in an unintentional set, could be had for ten bucks and free shipping for all of the first ten of them from Amazon's used books. Her curiosity was well worth ten dollars… she ordered a set.

The next few days were filled with work, and apartment hunting. She _was_ very busy, but she wasn't busy enough not to wonder why she hadn't ever gotten a call from anyone about Sunday's incident… she was pleased. Punching him wasn't something she was proud of, and frankly if the entire weekend just went away, she would be happy. She wasn't fifteen any longer, but she was still slightly curious about the fact that no one had called.

The next Thursday was turning out to be a red letter day. She had been recognized by her boss at his weekly staff meeting in Portland. Her office was a mess when she took over nearly four months ago. Now it was operating within its budget and productivity had doubled. She had received a small plaque from the people at the administrative level for her efforts. Next, on returning to her office, she had been approached by one of her employees telling her about an available apartment that his great aunt owned.

She fell in love with the place as soon as she pulled into the driveway. These weren't actually apartments… they were individual cottage bungalows… six of them on a large corner lot on the southern edge of the Woodstock neighborhood of Portland. They were only about four miles from her office, and close to… well everything!

The great aunt turned out to be a treasure… her name is Selma; her father had built the bungalows in 1946 after returning from the war. Now she and her younger brother owned them. Selma and her husband managed them, and they lived just across the street in what had been her parent's home. The brother and his family now lived in Salem, and were more or less silent partners. Although small, only 880 square feet, the cottages had been meticulously maintained inside and out. The unit she was shown had a new coat of paint and highly polished wood floors… the kitchen, also small, was quite up to date. They were a bit pricey at $1400.00 a month, but the charm of the unit and the area sold her. She signed a year's lease.

The next couple of weeks were filled with work, and getting settled into her new home. She had some money saved up, but not enough for new things… thus her weekends had pretty much been unpacking the few things she had brought from Seattle and scouring yard sales, estate sales and second hand shops for furniture and necessities.

The books had come a few days after she ordered them, but so far the package sat unopened in a corner of her bedroom. Frankly, she was a bit apprehensive about reading them. She was concerned how Freddie had portrayed her in his universe… she assumed the worst, and left it at that. But now, finished with unpacking and the basics, she had no more excuses… it was Friday night, she was off work for two days, she was finished unpacking, and the first rains of the late summer and early fall were visiting… perfect reading weather.

She unpacked the books and laid them out in order on top of an old trunk. She had been looking for a coffee table, when the trunk found her. It had been used as a real travel trunk at one time; at least it had the stickers. Its next life, she imagined, was as a storage box in someone's attic or garage. Now it was a shabby chic coffee table. She got up, threw the shipping box in the garbage, showered, put on some sweats, her old terrycloth robe and her comfy slippers. She put a kettle on to boil and brewed some tea… it was time. The first thing she noticed was the series was published by 'Bantam' in paperback, with references to 'Doubleday' for hardbound editions. The book is obviously being read widely… this paperback was the 15th printing and was published five years ago. She checked the cover art, afraid of what she might find. Some caricature of her in those wedding night negligee type outfits that normally grace female science fiction characters… 'The Demon' character didn't show up on the cover until the fifth book. She was indeed blonde, with her face turned away, looking at some bright light, dressed in coveralls. She opened the book to the first page, and began reading…

The first three chapters were history. They told of the 'Tri Wars' that had been fought between the 'Barons', the 'Combine' and the 'Settlers'. The Barons were the governing body of the universe that Freddie had imagined. The Combine was a consortium of large corporations and the Settlers were just that; the population of the planets that made up the universe. The story begins with a brief description of the Tri Wars and how it had gone on for over a century. By the time it had ended, nothing was left standing. All the planets had reverted to various types of individual governments that ranged from monarchies to democracies and everything in between. The war had ended over eighty years ago, and things were still in chaos toward the outer rims of the system. Intergalactic travel had pretty much died, since most of the ships capable of long distance travel had been converted to capitol ships by one of the three warring bodies, and eventually destroyed. The larger ships that had survived were scrapped for the most part. No single planet had the means to operate them since the massive ships capable of intergalactic travel were so expensive to fuel and maintain. That and the fact that there was no single currency left, and off world money was shunned. Interstellar travel was still possible, but rare due to the expense as well. There was some interstellar commerce but it was carried on via long 'hops' from system to system. Most trade was done within a system with small interplanetary ships.

The story of 'The Demon' actually starts in the fourth chapter, and is rather sketchy. She is a self taught pilot and navigator of a small Corsair class trader captained by a drunken despot. While drunk, the captain attempts to rape her, she overcomes him with the help of the small crew and they steal the ship. They maroon the despot on an uninhabited moon and proceed to begin trading with a bit of piracy thrown in for good measure. They become the hero's of the nearby systems in a Robin Hood-ish manner. There isn't much detail to 'The Demon'. Sam had tired of all the sci fi mumbo jumbo and began scanning the book, only stopping to actually read it when 'The Demon' was mentioned. The first book was obviously written as a 'one off'… not really meant as the beginning of a series. The book ends with 'The Demon' and her crew helping to overthrow the fascist dictator of what was now 'The Pirate Moons'.

Sam took a short break from the books and brewed more tea… book two was obviously written for continuation. It encompassed more adventures of 'The Demon' and her crew vanquishing evil while stealing anything not nailed down from the vanquished. Freddie's detail level had improved and now 'The Demon' was beginning to be fleshed out. It was in book three of the series that 'Samuella' aka 'The Demon' took on her true essence and center character of the book series. It was then she understood just what Freddie had done, and how he had created the character.

She put the book down next to her half empty tea cup and curled her legs up on the loveseat she used for a couch. She turned her head to look out the window behind her and watched the rain come down in the soft glow of the street light. The view was calming, serene. She sat staring out her window for some time while digesting just what he had done with the character…

'The Demon' was the very best parts of her, melded with the very best parts of him, of Freddie. She remembered he had told her once that the two of them, individually, were like an unfinished portrait. But together, as one, they were whole…

Sam shook her head, and turned back to the window, watching the rain.

* * *

**=Required reading=**

Anything by these fine authors:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

heartlines

Moviepal

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate


	5. The flickering light at the end of the t

The Apartment

5: The flickering light at the end of the tunnel

* * *

She could hear the rain pelting against her window, and in her half awake, half asleep mind, she imagined she was still in Seattle… rainy Seattle, where everything started… and ended.

Rolling over in her bed, she glanced at the alarm clock; 6:10 AM. Normally, she would be up and showered by now, but it was Saturday… a rainy Saturday. She rolled back over and let the memories wash over her. She knew what she had to do; she just didn't want to do it. But the doctor had been right… closure.

Her first boyfriend after dumping Freddie had been a guy from work… it had been a few months since Freddie, and the guy was good looking and street smart. His reputation at work was lousy; both with 'the ladies' and the bosses. She had been warned by a few older and wiser women that she worked with, including a couple of his former 'victims', but she knew… she knew she could tame him. Up until she came home early one night and found him screwing another girl she worked with… on her bed!

Two good things came of that, though. First; so she wouldn't have to put up with the asshat she had changed from a clerk to a letter carrier, which meant she worked days. Second; she vowed to never, ever have a relationship with anyone from work.

The next boyfriend was the real turning point when she found out that he had stolen from her. At first it was nothing, she'd loan him a little money, and he'd pay it back. After a while she found herself loaning him more and more, with nothing being payed back. Soon after she noticed she was missing nearly a thousand dollars from her savings account. The results of that had been a huge fight… a physical fight, where they were yelling and hitting and throwing things at each other. Some neighbor called the police. She avoided being arrested; he didn't due to some outstanding warrants. She did have to see a Community Service Judge who ordered her to take anger management classes.

The doctor's name was Norman Schultz; he had listened to her rant about this and that patiently, then quietly told her to 'cut the crap' and get to the point. She was taken aback. No one had ever spoken to her like that before… and that was just the beginning. After the first couple of sessions she found out the Doctor was a semi retired Psychologist. He'd sold his practice when his wife had passed away, downsized his life, and did this for the courts more as a hobby than actual work. '…just to keep my hand in…' as he told her. He told her he and his wife had raised two boys and two girls and '…that he could spot bullshit miles away, and she was so full of it flowers bloomed when she walked by...'

She really liked the old guy. She told him once that he was like the father she'd never had… he told her that it was okay to think of him like that, but if she expected him to cut her any slack, she was very much mistaken. The court ordered sessions ended, but he gave her a call a week later explaining that he needed help selecting a gift for one of his daughters. She saw through that pretty quickly, and was sure he knew she had. But the weekly sessions they had continued for another two years with them just meeting and talking over coffee or walking around a mall.

Their last meeting was short and to the point. They had met for coffee; as soon as he sat down he had told her that his youngest son had finished school and taken a job in Atlanta. Now he had kids scattered from one end of the country to the other. His answer to that was that he was going to move to the mid west so he could be closer to all of them. He looked her in the eye and told her "Your problem is you never finish anything. I mean anything involving your emotions. You need to close out those things, good bad or ugly, it has to happen. Finish them, don't just leave them hanging… come to grips with them and find closure, for everyone's sake... but mostly for your sanity."

That was it… she had never heard from him again. But she knew him well enough to understand that he had rendered his diagnoses, and now it was up to her to act on it… so she did.

She had thought her sister would be the hardest one to deal with, to get this closure with. She had imagined that as soon as she spilled her guts to her sister, that she would tell her thanks, and to please stay out of her life. She _had_ skipped Mel and Rick's wedding, she hadn't even sent a gift or card. Mel had wanted her in the wedding, but… well she had decided to skip it and texted her sister some lame excuse about why she couldn't go… and that was another thing; She had also decided that these had to be done in person, face to face. Phone calls wouldn't do. She worked up her courage one Saturday morning and made the short trip to Mel and Rick's home. She knocked on the door; Mel answered, gave her a hug and invited her in for coffee. At the kitchen table, she had apologized, and then told her sister just how she felt and why. Amazingly, Mel's response was "Well, I guess we just have to try a little harder, don't we…" and then asked her to stay for lunch.

Soon after that was her disastrous trip to visit Carly… Sam certainly felt there was closure there, but wasn't sure if Carly realized it. The easy one, the one she thought would be easy anyway, was her mother. That didn't turn out very well. Mel had already divorced herself from their mother, and wished Sam good luck, that she'd need it. Sam had tried, but after sitting and listening to their mothers drunken rant for about half an hour, she just got up and left… at the door, she thanked her mom for what she had done for her, told her goodbye, and walked out of the house. She hadn't spoken to her mother since, and didn't plan too.

Still holding to her ideals of doing these in person, she had tried to contact Freddie. She was willing to fly to wherever he was, and get this done. Unfortunately, she couldn't find him. And now… it was even worse. She had been kind of excited that maybe they could finally see where whatever it was they had between them would go. Especially with the help of Ann and Holly… then the books, the Samuella character, her jumping to the wrong conclusion and lashing out… again. She really needed to get closure with Freddie… if something happened after that, well then it happens, if not…

First, she had to apologize to him for hitting him, and then would come the rest.

She got up, made breakfast, ate, and then puttered about the house for a bit… until she realized what she was doing… she was just putting this off. She showered, got ready for the day, and decided it was still too early to do what she had to do. She also needed some groceries, so… after a two hour trip to the grocers, and after putting away the last of her purchases, she knew she couldn't put it off any longer. She freshened up, and left. It was still pouring rain… it had been all morning with no let up in sight. She parked in front of Freddie's house, made a mad dash up his sidewalk, brushed the rain water off herself and steeled her courage.

She rang the doorbell… nothing.

She rang it again… nothing.

She knocked, loudly… nothing.

She was about ready to try ringing the doorbell one last time when Ann stepped into the covered entry wearing a raincoat and holding an umbrella.

"Hi Rocky… you'll be here for a while, he's not home…" Ann said.

Sam started to respond, but Ann grabbed her arm and tugged.

"C'mon, I was just heading over to Hol's… you can come over so she can embarrass you too. Get under the umbrella…" Ann said holding the umbrella out.

Sam didn't even think, she ducked under Ann's umbrella and walked with her the short way to Holly and Don's home. Ann opened the door and walked in, saying loudly; "Look what I found!"

Sam found herself in the house with Holly giving her a once over. Ann collapsed her umbrella, closed the door and began to gently push Sam further into the house.

"Oh look! It's Rocky!" Holly said.

"Nope… can't use that one. I already called her that when I found her knocking on Fred's door." Ann retorted.

Sam was stunned by Ann's cavalier reply, but even more so when Holly said; "Ann… you know I don't know anything about boxers! Take it back so I can call her Rocky!"

Sam looked at Holly, who was smiling… Sam cracked a tiny grin.

"No way, I found her and called her Rocky first. You might call her Miss Rock-n Sock. Does that work for you?" Ann asked Holly while moving further into the house. Sam was smiling now… this entire exchange was going on as if she wasn't even there.

"No… that's good, but the moments gone. Well, come on Sam… don't stand there grinning like some… some aging prizefighter. Come on in." Holly said.

"Hey, that was pretty good Hol's… aging prizefighter… yeah, that works." Ann said as she walked past Holly toward the back of the house. Holly grinned at Sam, shrugged, turned and started to follow Ann.

"Well c'mon if you're comin'… Rocky." Holly said over her shoulder as she walked away.

Sam stood watching the retreating women for a moment, grinned and followed. Following them into the kitchen, Holly motioned over to a breakfast table, where Ann was already seated.

"Pick your poison, Rocky; I have coffee, tea, Bailey's, Kahula, about a dozen kinds of wine, a few kinds of beer and ale, that spiked lemonade stuff…" Holly said as she was getting a wine glass out of a cupboard.

"You mean Mike's Hard Lemonade." Ann cut in.

"…yeah, that's it, Mike's… then there's vodka, scotch, bourbon, a couple of other things with so much dust on the bottle label I can't read it. Oh yeah, there's some English gunk called Scrumpy that Don likes but I think tastes like something you'd scrape off the bottom of a boat." Holly continued while looking in another cupboard.

"I'll have a beer, please." Sam said.

Holly took a bottle of Vin Rose out of the refrigerator and sat it and the glass in front of Ann.

"Follow me, then." Holly said while heading out through a laundry room off the kitchen, and then out to the garage. Holly opened a refrigerator, grabbed a Bud Light, and motioned for Sam to pick what she wanted from the various brewers. Sam chose a Corona and followed her host back into the kitchen.

Holly invited Sam to take a seat with Ann while she set out a few types of chips and dip. Ann grinned at Sam, and Sam knew… the interrogation was about to begin.

"So… why the visit to Fred? Coming back for round two?" Ann asked as Holly chuckled.

"No, I thought I owed him an apology." Sam said laughing.

"Well, he's not here… he's in LA asserting his final approval clause or something. He left two days after you decked him… that's what the phone call was about at the barbeque. He's not due back for another month or six weeks last we heard… Hol's and I are watching his house." Ann said.

"Oh…" Sam said disappointedly.

"Well don't look so glum. He'll be back, he hates LA. Besides, you can join us for our girls only weekend… drink up!" Holly said grinning.

"Girls only weekend? Where is everybody?" Sam asked.

"Camping… can you believe that? Camping in this weather… The guys and kids eat that crap up though, so here we are with an entire weekend of eating and drinking while our hubby's and the kids are away. Normally we just gossip, drink and watch old movies. Now you can be our entertainment!" Ann said while Holly nodded.

Sam shrugged; "Okay, why not… I'm not doing anything anyway…" She said having a sip of beer.

"Okay, we'll get our history out of the way then; Ann's easy… she married her high School sweetheart just out of school. That's it, nothing more about her. I'm about the same. I grew up in Boise, Don lived two doors down. When I was twelve we started to hang out, dated when we got a bit older, then his family moved here to Portland. My fifteen year old heart was broken, but like any good fifteen year old, I was good in a week or so. Fast forward to college at OSU, Corvallis. A group of us from our 'drinking' sorority went out clubbing and there was Don, playing bass for a ska band in one of the clubs… the rest is history. Now, it's your turn Sam; we want _all_ the history with _all_ the gory details."

"Okay…" Sam said. And she did… she started with meeting Freddie in elementary school and worked her way forward. At first, she had decided to leave out _all _the gory details, but as she drank, and her story unfolded, her tale grew more detailed. She was comfortable with these two women. She told them everything.

By the time she was finished, it was after ten at night, and they were all somewhat plastered. Pizza delivery boxes and empty bottles and chip bowls littered the kitchen counter. Sometime during the evening Sam had been invited to stay the night. Since she knew she was in no condition to drive, she agreed.

The three women cleaned up the kitchen and changed into some sweats borrowed from Holly. Ann claimed the hide-a-bed in the living room and Sam was told she could have the guest room. They continued to chat for a little while longer before Sam blurted out a question that had been nagging her all day.

"So, what happened after I hit Freddie? Was he mad? What'd he say?"

"You know Sam, that's funny… not ha ha funny, just odd what Fred did. He stood up, rubbed his jaw, went to the window and watched you drive away… he turned back to us and said; 'Ladies and gentlemen… meet Sam Pucket. I guess I'd better call her later.' About then his phone rang and it was the movie outfit again… he left two days later. I'm sure he didn't get a chance to call you. So… you might think that you've screwed the pooch about getting back together with him… I'm not so sure… Ann and I think you could have a shot with him still… but I think I'd hold off beating him up the next time you see him."

The three slightly inebriated women looked back and forth at each other, then broke out laughing.

* * *

**=Required reading=**

Anything by these fine authors:

**KingxLeon21**

**Dwyn Arthur**

**heartlines**

**Moviepal**

**WhiteKnightro**

**WildPomegranate**

-x-

**BoxOfTrinkets**, has just updated, well everything!

AND AND AND

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Check out BOT's and my collaboration!

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WE JUST UPDATED ALSO!

* * *

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Why, reviews!

(Yeah, okay… really lame. But it rhymes!)


	6. Hallways

The Apartment

6: Hallways

* * *

Sam woke; she sleepily wondered where she was for a moment… then last night came back to her. She grinned, she liked these gals. She suddenly realized her back needed scratching immediately. She'd slept in her underwear, and her bra strap was driving her nuts. She unclasped it, slipped it off and pulled on the borrowed sweats lying on the floor next to the bed. She got out of bed and was standing at the foot of it, craving coffee.

Roaming down the hallway, she could hear Holly's soft breathing coming from what must be the master bedroom. Going further down the hall she noticed the family pictures on the wall… kids, parents, grandparents… she thought back to the hallway at her mothers house. The only thing on any of the walls there was stains and scrapes and peeling paint. She did have some photos of her family… maybe it was time to put some out. But not of her mother… nope. No, there wouldn't ever be any of her… she didn't deserve the wall space.

She didn't hate her mother, but she sure as hell couldn't love her like she felt she should. One of the things Freddie had told her once came to mind; '…_it's amazing you turned out so well, coming from… that.' _Sam thought most people would be angry hearing something like that from the lips of their lovers… not her, she took it as a compliment, as it was intended.

Lovers… yeah, they'd been lovers. At one time her entire world revolved around him. What amazed her even more was that his world had revolved around her. He was kind, gentle, loving… and unlike her, he'd been in it for the long term. The only thing that she could be proud of about their relationship is that she had sense enough not to become involved with anyone else until a few months after she tossed him out. She couldn't really fathom, at this point in her life, what had caused her to be so… stupid. Every other guy she had a relationship with had maybe one or two of Freddie's qualities, but utterly failed in comparison. They all flunked the 'Freddie Standard'; she chuckled, and then grimaced.

And besides, she had loved Freddie. The rest were nothing but short lived infatuations brought about by a witty remark or possibly lust. Oh yeah… there's the perfect relationship formula… a formula doomed to failure.

Sam found herself in the kitchen, and began searching for coffee. The pot was easy, it was happily sitting on the counter flashing the 9:47 AM time on and off. She discovered the coffee already ground in the 'fridge, poured water in the machine and pushed the 'ON' button. The machine began to gurgle and spurt. Ann joined her after a few minutes, saying nothing but grinning her greeting. Ann opened a cupboard and withdrew two coffee mugs and sat them on the counter by the coffee machine.

"So, what's the plan for you today?" Ann asked.

"Laundry mostly… I did some yesterday, but I really need to finish it up. What do you gals normally do?" Sam replied.

"Nothing much different… the guys and kids will roll in about six or seven tonight. We do usually go out for a late lunch around two or three… join us?" Ann asked.

"Yeah, thanks… I will, where?" Sam queried.

"Hmmm… not sure. Hol's will sleep till noon when she can. We'll sort it out and give you a call, okay?" Ann said while pouring herself and Sam a mug of coffee.

"Great, please do…" Sam replied smiling.

The two women chatted while drinking their coffee, then went to gather their things and leave. Ann told Sam not to worry about borrowing Holly's sweats, and to just return them later. They both packed yesterdays clothes in paper grocery bags, and left. The entire drive back to her bungalow she thought about the pictures in the hallway. Damnit, she wanted that. She wanted what Mel had… she wanted pictures in her own hallway… pictures of a wonderful husband, kids and family. She wanted it all…

Sam pulled up beside her bungalow and parked. She grabbed her things and stood at her door fumbling for the keys. Opening the door, she realized there was a problem when her foot 'squished' on her inside doormat. A trickle of water ran over the threshold and onto her tiny porch. The entire area was about an inch under water. She sloshed around for a couple minutes, not believing what she was seeing… and standing in, and then went across the street to get Selma and her husband, Cliff.

Five minutes later, Selma and Sam stood on the tiny front porch waiting for Cliff to tell then what was going on. A few moments later they both heard a loud crash, followed by a string of cuss words from Cliff. They both ran inside to see if he was okay. He stepped out of the bathroom, told his wife that he was fine, but the plumbing sure wasn't. He showed them how one wall in the bathroom had just collapsed into the bathtub. "…all I did was touch it, and down it came." He said. They could all see a tiny stream of water shooting out of the middle of one of the now exposed pipes. Cliff edged past them and went outside. Moments later, the water stream stopped.

"Well, I shut the water off. Most of the walls on this side of the house are full of water. There's no telling how long that leak has been going on. We're just lucky the water didn't get high enough to get to the wiring and burn the place down. , I'm sorry to say that you'll have to move right away. You can't stay here. It's going to take me six months to pull these walls out and let the place dry out. It'll be even longer if we get mildew." Cliff said as he walked back in the room.

"You mean… you mean I can't stay here? I've got to move right now?" Sam said, aghast.

"Yes ma'am, I'm afraid so. I can't let you stay here with no water or power… which reminds me, I need to turn the power off." He said turning around and going outside again.

Sam was stunned… Selma was as well. Sam went back in and began feeling the furniture. Everything, even her bed was damp or worse. In a few more moments, Cliff was back in; "Selma, you go home and load a bunch of those rubber tote boxes into the back of the pickup and drive it over here. Ms. Pucket, come with me and let's see what we can salvage of yours…" He said resignedly.

After over two hours of sorting and packing, all that was savable was most of her clothes, kitchen utensils, and the few things in the refrigerator. It was a pretty small pile of boxes stacked up next to Cliff's pickup truck.

"Well, that's it. Ms. Pucket, what do you think your stuff is worth?" Cliff asked.

"Sam had relapsed into another daze, but had snapped out of it somewhat... enough to say "Huh?' at any rate.

"…your stuff, what is it worth?" Cliff repeated.

"Oh, well, not that much… I got most of it second hand… maybe two or three thousand all together. I do have renters insurance." Sam replied.

Cliff nodded. "You've only been here a couple months, haven't you…?" Cliff said.

Sam nodded.

"Let's see, this months rent, a thousand dollar deposit and three thousand… Selma, go and write her out a check for fifty four hundred dollars… Ms. Pucket, I'm so sorry, but that's the best I can do, and I hope you think that's fair. I want to pay you now, so you're not waiting on insurance."

Sam nodded again, while glancing at her 'life' in fourteen rubber tote boxes in the back of the pickup. Her phone started ringing. She fished it out of her pocket; it was Ann. Sam briefly went over what had happened, explaining why she couldn't meet them for lunch. Ann replied; "Screw lunch, don't move an inch, you stay right there… what's the address?"

Twenty minutes later Holly pulled up driving her husband's flatbed work truck. She gave Sam a quick hug, and asked Cliff if he would help her get Sam's stuff onto her truck. Cliff, Sam and Holly quickly loaded the tote boxes onto the back of Holly's truck and strapped them down. Sam wasn't quite sure just what Holly was doing, or why, but didn't argue. Sam walked over to Holly, asked where Ann was, and gave Holly the address of the Econo-Lodge.

"Econo-Lodge? Oh no… Ann and I are watching Fred's house while he's gone, remember? Right this minute, she's getting linens on the bed and getting the place ready. That's you're new address, Sam… the mother in law apartment at Fred's." Holly said.

"Oh hell no… that would never work!" Sam exclaimed.

"And just why not? You need a place to stay and he's not even there… look Sam, he's going to be gone for another month at least. You can stay there for free and get things sorted out. This will give you a chance to find another place if you're not comfortable there. Like I said, the price is right… free." Holly retorted.

Sam thought for a moment, then threw up her arms in resignation… the free part would be good…

"Okay, let's go I guess." Sam mumbled.

"Good, you get going. We ordered some sandwiches from a deli, so I'm going to pick them up on the way back… see you there." Holly said.

Sam insisted on buying the sandwiches, and gave Holly the cash. She walked back to her car, turned, took a last look at her bungalow and sighed; glanced at the check Selma had given her, and then got in the car and drove away.

The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind of activity… lunch, unpacking and attempting to get settled in. Most of her clothes were damp, and about a quarter of her good shoes were water logged and ruined. The three women began by laundering the clothing that didn't require dry cleaning. Those items they hung up in the kitchen so Sam could take them to the cleaners the next day. Ann had explained about 'house'. The whole place was automated, and tracked you as you moved from room to room. The first thing Ann had done was _introduce_ Sam to 'house' by having Sam read a few articles from a magazine. This enabled 'house' to recognize her voice, allowing her to give 'house' commands such as turn on or off the lights, room temperature, etc…

Finally, around six in the evening Sam's two new friends left. Sam was exhausted… she also had nothing she could wear to work. She was required to dress in 'business casual' at the very least. All those outfits needed to go to the cleaners. She hadn't taken any days off work since she had been down here, so she called her boss at home, hoping he would let her have a couple days off. Her boss offered her a week after hearing what had happened. She thanked him, but only took three days.

The apartment wasn't much smaller than the bungalow, especially since there was no kitchen. It had a separate front room, bedroom, bathroom with a combo tub and shower. There was also a tiny alcove off of the front room with a small refrigerator and tiny pantry. In the alcove was a spot for a hot plate, but no hot plate. The rooms were furnished with what looked like cast away items. There wasn't anything wrong with the furniture other than nothing matched. It reminded her of bachelor furniture. She assumed that this was some of the furniture Freddie had when he moved in. The queen sized bed looked comfortable, and indeed was when she gave it a 'test', the down side was that it was far too big for the bedroom. It worked, but the room was all bed and chest of drawers. The walk in closet was huge. That suited her since there was so little room anywhere else for storage. Access to the apartment was down a side pathway from the front driveway or through the kitchen in the main house.

The kitchen…

The kitchen was huge. It was at least half again as big as the apartment. It needed to be since it was filled with commercial grade Hobart appliances. This stuff wasn't 'home' commercial; everything here could have been used in a working restaurant. It wasn't pretty, but it sure would be easy to clean and operate. Separate walk in refrigerator and freezer, commercial grill, commercial range… Sam thought he must have spent thirty thousand dollars on appliances alone. She had noticed all this while Ann and Holly were showing her around, but thought maybe there was some exploring to do.

She _was_ tired, but not sleepy. She decided to shower and change clothes since she was still in Holly's sweats. She dressed in warm sweats, just out of the dryer, socks and slippers… it was time to explore.

The kitchen and front room had been shown to her. Besides, she _had _been in the front room before, albeit briefly. The front room was more of a theatre than anything else. There was a huge television panel on one wall with huge speakers in all four corners. Some very expensive looking audio and video equipment was on another wall. In the center of the room was a large 'U' shaped couch with a number of recliners built into it… she picked up a remote sitting on the couch, pointed it at the television panel and pressed 'POWER'.

Nothing happened.

She shrugged and dropped the remote back on the couch. Looking around again, she noticed the entrance to a hallway… she walked toward it. It was dark… she fumbled around, looking for a light switch before she remembered Ann and Holly telling her about 'House'. She stepped into the hallway; immediately lights came on its entire length. Pictures hung the length of the hallway. Turning left she walked to the end looking at another hallway adorned with framed pictures. All of them were of his family; mother, aunts, uncles, cousins… and an ancient photo of his father. She opened the door at the end of the hallway. A table lamp and floor lamp came to life, illuminating a furnished bedroom… generically furnished at best. She entered, walked over to the first of two doors and opened it; bathroom with a shower and another door at the far end. This had to be a guest room, she thought. She left the bathroom and opened the other bedroom door. A single ceiling light flickered on revealing an empty closet.

Retracing her steps back to the hallway, she walked back the way she had come and opened the next door. It was another guest room with the same furnishings, shared bathroom and empty closet. Back out in the hallway again, she opened the next door down. Indirect and task lights popped on, while computers began whirring and beeping to life. This was obviously his office. A shelf desk went the entire length of three walls with another large round task table in the center of the room. Even with all the task lights the room was still slightly gloomy. Then she realized why; computer screens began showing life all around the walls… this room was a geek's dreamland. On the walls above the desks were framed awards and media articles about his books. She glanced around for a moment, and then turned to leave so she could continue exploring. As she turned, the fourth wall stopped her. This wall was covered with framed photographs… most of them of a younger her, three or four other women, and off to one side, photographs of some other people that she didn't recognize. She stared for quite a while… she realized that in the larger grouping of photos on that wall was the history of Freddie's failed relationships… and she was the star.

She left the room.

She stood in the hallway for a moment, overwhelmed by what she had just seen. She'd never thought about 'them' before from his perspective. Seeing that wall was like being hit in the gut. Sharing that wall with the others… she felt like a failure. That wall might not exist except for her. She had no idea what had ended the others relationships with him, but she thought none of them could be as asinine as her reasons for dumping him all those years ago. She realized others might look at the wall and see more trophies… conquests, like the other awards displayed in the room. She knew him better than that though, or at least she used too… still, she was sure that in Freddie's mind, it was failures.

She was done exploring, at least for now. She returned to her apartment and went to bed. She hoped to become lost in sleep… she didn't want to think about it… she didn't want to remember him… them. She tossed and turned for over an hour before she realized that not remembering was going to be hard to do; staying in his house, laying in his bed… he was everywhere.

* * *

**=Required reading=**

Anything by these fine authors:

KingxLeon21

BaalRules

BoxOfTrinkets

Dwyn Arthur

heartlines

Moviepal

TheWrtrInMe (Ao3)

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

-x-


	7. Setting Number Twelve

The Apartment

7: Setting Number Twelve

* * *

She woke up early, at her normal time of about five thirty. She drug herself out of bed, put on her robe and wandered yawning into the massive kitchen. At least the coffee maker was somewhat familiar, it _was_ a commercial coffee pot, but operated in the normal manner, coffee grounds, water… coffee. She had put all of her items that needed refrigeration into the massive steel box in the kitchen… she hadn't even opened the bar sized unit in her apartment yet. She had noticed coffee beans in one of the doors while putting away her items… but where was the grinder. She searched through the cupboards looking, and while searching found his cup… the coffee cup she had given him all those years ago. She had taken it and its mate from her mother's house when she moved out, and presented this one to him as a joke gift the first time he spent the night at her first tiny apartment. Its mate was sitting on the alcove shelf in the apartment… she'd kept hers all those years also.

She smiled, and put it back.

Eventually, she found the coffee grinder and made coffee. She started to go back to her rooms for her cup, the matching cup to his, but stopped after a couple of steps, turned back and took a different cup from a set she'd found while looking for the grinder. For some odd reason it only seemed right that these old heavy clay cups should be off limits, they should go unused… she couldn't fathom why, but she knew in her mind that this was right.

She drank her coffee and thought about her television… it was sitting on the floor in the main room of her apartment. She wasn't sure it would work after being damp. She went to get it, brought it back to the kitchen, sat it on the counter and plugged it in. It did turn on, but there was no connection, no antenna, it got great snow, but no picture. She turned it off.

Going into the living room with her coffee, she sat on the couch, picked up the remote and pointed it at the wall sized television while pressing the 'POWER' button… again, nothing. She began pushing different buttons on the remote with the same success… nothing. She was getting frustrated; she began waving it around while pressing various buttons…

**click**

…Fox12 weather shows continuing showers through tomorrow with slightly increased winds tonight…

So… as long as she pointed the remote at the shelves of electronics on the left wall, it worked. She felt gratified; she'd won this round…

She watched the morning news for a while before experimenting with the remote control further. She found it controlled a theatre quality audio system, and a computer that was loaded with hundreds of movies and TV shows sorted by age, type, etc… There were also a number of categorized folders. She used the remote to highlight one labeled 'Doc's' and clicked it open. Within it were quite a number of documentaries on space, planets, and galaxies… he obviously used these for his books. Another folder was labeled 'Navel Battles in the Age of Sail'. If she had to guess, he used this as background information for his books as well. She skipped through a number of others until she got to a folder labeled 'Ancient'. She used the remote again, and 'clicked' it open. Among the dozen or so sub categories was one labeled 'Sam'. She hesitated, wondering… she opened it. Inside the folder were about a half dozen video files, and one audio file. Still using the remote, she clicked on the first file: It was edited soundless clips of her from the old iCarly web casts… as were the next four. The next was different, the next she had forgotten all about…

'_Freddie, put that thing down…' _her younger self had said while sitting on the floor in her first apartment.

'_No'_ came his reply from off camera.

'_Well then, let's just see how crazy we can get!'_ She said grinning at the camera.

Then she pulled her sweater over her head, and then her 'T' shirt… she wasn't wearing a bra.

She flicked off the television… she knew very well where this ended up, and wasn't in the mood to relive it at the moment. It upset her slightly that he'd kept this. But then, it hadn't been his idea in the first place… this was all her idea. After they had finished, and watched the resulting video, he'd offered to erase it. She remembered her answer had been to roll him over on his back, straddle him and screw him again. She'd had a copy of this as well, well, she'd had it until she found one of her 'boyfriends' watching it late one night. That had been the end of him, and the video… she'd erased it that night. Sometimes, she wished she hadn't.

She had a thought; she flicked the TV back on, stopped the video just as it showed her beginning to remove her pants, and looked back into the other folders. Yep, just as she thought… there was sub categories labeled 'Meg', 'Audrey', 'Lillian', 'Vicky' and 'Jo Ann'. She opened the first; Meg… After about an hour and a half she had watched each and every file from every woman… and every one of the videos were 'G' rated, except hers.

She smiled.

She flicked off the television and went back to her rooms. She showered, dressed and gathered up her items for the cleaners. She loved this, shopping at this time of day. Since most everyone was at work, there was no traffic, no lines at stores, perfect. She returned home a little after noon, having done her errands which had included the cleaners, some new work shoes and a visit to the grocery store. She made herself some soup, ate, listened to the radio as she sorted and organized her closet, and then took a nap.

She was still half asleep, but thought she heard a knocking on the door. She groggily got up and made her way to the apartment's front door. Looking through the peek hole, she saw Holly was standing on the doormat holding a casserole dish. Sam opened the door.

"Hey Sam… Ann's got a gig and Don and I are going to be working late on our quarterly taxes, so I thought I'd come over and see how you were doing, but I can't stay at all so here's some Sheppard's Pie I had in the ice box… Oh, looks like I woke you up." Holly said all in one breath.

Sam smiled at her, and asked her in.

"Thanks for this, Sheppard's Pie is one of my favorites… you know Holly. I have no idea what you and Ann do? For work I mean… Ann's got a gig?" Sam asked while taking the dish from Holly.

"Well, duh… I guess we never got around to us… Ann teaches music at the Academy, its part of Milwaukie High School. She also plays the cello in the Portland Philharmonic, that's the gig she was talking about. I'm not that talented… I do the books and line up jobs for our construction business." Holly said, and then continued. "Look doll, I really have to dash. I've got hungry kids and a husband waiting for dinner, then Don and I have to finish our taxes by the end of the week… Sorry for the rush job, but I _gotta_ run!" Holly said while backing out of the door.

Sam waved her goodbye, and closed the door. She took the dish into the kitchen and put it in the refrigerator. Looking at the clock on the wall, she was surprised that it was a quarter to five… she'd slept for quite a while. She wasn't hungry, but she was chilly, and she was already in sweats. She decided to try out 'house'…

"What's the temperature, house?" She said out loud to the empty room.

After a moment, the same nasally voice responded; "Average interior temperature is 65.7 degrees Fahrenheit or 18.72 degrees Celsius. Your occupied space registers 67.1 degrees Fahrenheit or 19.5 degrees Celsius. Outside temperature registers 58.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 14.7 degrees Celsius."

"Increase occupied temperature to 72 degrees." Sam said.

Nothing happened.

"Increase occupied temperature to 72 degrees." Sam said again.

Nothing happened, again.

It was then Sam remembered what Holly had said yesterday; '_…it's kind of like the old Simon Says game. If you don't address it as 'house', it won't respond.'_

"House, increase occupied temperature to 72 degrees." Sam said once more.

"Temperature increase acknowledged, increasing occupied area to 72 degrees Fahrenheit or 22.2 degrees Celsius." House replied.

Sam nodded her head to no one, and then thought herself daft for doing that; '…like house will see me nod my head.' She thought.

She stepped over to the window above the breakfast table and looked out. It was well past dusk. She'd wanted to explore the back yard, which was mostly an in ground pool and hot tub, but being too late now, and chilly besides, that could wait until tomorrow. She wasn't really hungry yet, and in an exploratory mood, and there _was_ the rest of the hallway…

She entered the front room and turned right, and then into the hallway again. Just like last night, the lights came on as soon as she passed the threshold. She passed another bathroom that opened onto the hallway. This one was slightly larger than the shard bathroom she'd seen last night. Continuing on, she passed five built in linen closets on both sides of the walls before she came to a left turn. It was dark around that corner; until she had stepped into the turn… the lights blossomed on. In front of her was a short hallway, with a door slightly ajar at the end. She continued on, pushed the door open, and entered what was obviously the master bedroom… Freddie's room.

It was huge.

The first thing that drew her eyes was the bed; Large wouldn't describe it… it was insanely huge. Except for an equally insanely huge polished wood chest of drawers and a chair, the room was rather Spartan… in an insanely huge way. She walked over and sat on the bed, then lay back… insanely comfortable, of course.

She suddenly felt like Goldilocks.

She sat back up, and slid off the bed, stood and looked around. The wall opposite the bed was another wall sized television. The chest of drawers was the biggest she'd ever seen. She stood in front of it counting for a bit… it had forty four drawers. Standing in front of it, she suddenly felt Lilliputian. On the far wall were three doors; she guessed closet, bathroom and something. Walking around the bed, she chose the furthest first. Closet, if you could call it that. When she opened the door indirect lighting blazed revealing a closet that was easily the size of the apartment. It was lined with cedar, brimming with cedar cabinets and shoe nooks, and had hanger racks for more clothes than many haberdasheries stocked.

And, it was empty.

She did a mental shrug and went to the center door, opened it, and gasped. She'd found Midas' bathroom… The place was, well, insane… the walls were covered floor to ceiling in black marble with the same on the floor. On one wall was a solid black marble vanity with a black granite counter top and two huge white marble sinks. Gold appointments or at least gold colored with white porcelain were everywhere. On the opposite wall from the entry were two arched doorways; on the right hand were two more of the same. Going to the right she opened the first door; the commode… actually, it was nothing fancy. She had expected some kind of techno rocket potty, only to discover a plain old everyman's white porcelain toilet. She closed the door and stepped to the next… a walk in linen closet. This was _not _empty. There were enough towels, washcloths and hand towels to outfit a small army… all in black. The linen closet smelled like a cross between a cedar forest and expensive soaps.

She went back into the larger room, and continued to her right. She opened the door and couldn't believe her eyes, again. The entire room was a step down bathtub… again, in black marble. It was then she noticed the water jets and seats on the walls of the tub… it's a Jacuzzi bath.

She knew, she'd be trying that out before Freddie got back… no doubt.

The last room had her curiosity on overdrive. She opened the door, only to see another black marble wall… and then she noticed the walkway to the right. She stepped in the room, walked around to the right, then turned left and was standing at the edge of the largest, most luxurious shower she had ever seen, or imagined. The entire ceiling was some type of metal shower head. On the walls she counted eight more large round shower heads.

"Oh yeah…" She said out loud.

She turned and retraced her route back to her apartment, stripping off her clothes the entire way. She was stark naked by the time she got to her apartment. Grabbing her toiletries and hair care bottles, she tossed on a robe and made the return trip to the shower. She hung up her robe on a hook on the back of the door and stood in the middle, and fretted. There was no water valve. Looking about, she found a medium sized computer type screen built into the wall… she tapped it. The screen came alive with a small diagram of the water outlets with temperature and pressure controls beside each picture. She touched the ceiling picture on the screen and warm water began to cascade down over her. She reveled in it for a moment before she noticed a glowing label that said 'PROGRAMS'. She pressed it and was given a choice of eleven different glowing dots numbered, amazingly enough, one through eleven. She shrugged and pressed the first little red dot.

Water started to stream out from all sides, even up from the floor. This was sheer bliss. She experimented with the different settings until she settled on one to her liking. The glowing screen cleared and asked if she would like to create a new setting. She pressed 'YES' and the screen cleared again, then resumed, saying 'SETTING NUMBER TWELVE, STORED'.

After her shower, she remembered the last unexplored door. She opened it and found another identical closet, except this one was being used. Suits and sport coats hung on one side, dress and casuals slacks on the other. Dress shirts and polo's were in their own area. Dress shoes to sandals and everything in between took up most of the shoe cubbies; while the drawers were full of… underwear? Socks? T-shirts? 'Then what was in the huge chest in the bedroom?' She wondered as she closed the door and made her way back to the chest… empty, not a thing.

Sam shook her head, and went to the front room to watch some TV. She didn't really want to think about all this empty space. The implications were… unthinkable.

Since she basically had nothing but her clothes and a few other items when she moved in, it had taken her no time at all to get settled. Even in the most adverse arraignments a routine develops, and here was no different. Over the next two weeks her normal weekday was work, home, cook something for dinner in the huge kitchen, set up something for the next days lunch, spend about thirty to forty minutes in Freddie's shower, or a bit longer if she used the Jacuzzi tub, watch some programs on the huge front room television and go to bed. The weekends were about the same except for work, interspersed with coffee with Ann and / or Holly and relaxing… and longer luxurious showers or soaks. She did do a bit more exploring, in the backyard. Out there was a large in ground pool and hot tub. At this time of year it was too cold to use the pool, and she couldn't figure out how to get the hot tub going, so she left it alone. Ann had told her that a pool service showed up on Thursday and a yard maintenance group on Friday. She had never seen either as they came while she was at work. Ann had also told her that there was also a cleaning service, but it had been stopped while Freddie was out of town.

It was Friday… the end of an especially grueling week at work, and the end of the third week she'd been living in Freddie's apartment. She'd done employee reviews for most of the week, and now was playing catch up on her paperwork. Sam had locked herself in her office about ten that morning and was still at it past lunch time. She looked at the stack of papers and reports she had yet to complete and thought she should be done by around four or four thirty.

Fred felt vindicated. At another ridiculous 'power lunch' he'd been at yesterday, he'd surprised everyone by firing the agent he'd hired to help him swim with these sharks and told the studio folks that he was putting the entire project on hold until they decided to do it his way. Then he'd got up and left the restaurant. The production group had been calling pretty much non stop since, but he'd decided to let them sweat for a while. He'd ignored their calls and booked a flight home for this afternoon… he was sick of Los Angeles.

Sam looked at the clock on her wall; it was 2:10 PM… a couple hours to go on this paper work. She had big plans tonight. She had a date with the shower and she couldn't wait to get home, have a bite to eat and relax in the shower for about an hour.

Fred checked out of his Hotel, and took a taxi to LAX. The only flight he was able to get on short notice had a short lay over in San Francisco… but that was okay with him. He'd still be home tonight… he couldn't wait. He was walking down the concourse to his terminal when he looked up at one of the clocks; it was 2:11 PM.

Sam's office clock read 3:07 PM… she flipped on her desk radio for some background noise. She checked where she was in her paperwork and calculated she would be done in about an hour and a half… perfect she thought, and smiled.

Fred had made it through check in quicker than he thought. He was having a beer in one of the airport bars, waiting for his three thirty boarding time. He checked his phone… five more calls from the production idiots that he'd set to go directly to voice mail. It was 3:15 PM. Time to finish the beer and get to the boarding area.

Sam finished the last report and transmitted the lot to her boss. She looked up at her wall clock; 4:35 PM… perfect. If she hurried, she could still beat the worst of the traffic.

Fred disembarked into the San Francisco terminal. He glanced up at one of the concourse clocks, it was 4:40 PM. He had a forty minute layover before his flight home. He'd passed on the airline food offered in flight. There was this bar and grill he'd eaten at a number of times before. Their food was outstanding. He had just enough time to grab a sandwich or a steak before he needed to board. Walking to the concourse restaurant, he decided on the steak… no, on second thought, prime rib with horse radish sauce… yeah, that's what he wanted… the place was out of business. He stopped at a concourse convenience shop and picked up a couple packs of peanut butter and crackers along with a bottle of water. This would have to hold him for a while.

Sam glanced at the time on the dash board of her car; 5:43 PM. Well, she'd almost beat the rush hour traffic… most of it anyway. She had picked up a few pork chops the other day on sale, and had decided that was what she would have for dinner. Then she remembered she didn't have any apple sauce… what were pork chops without apple sauce? She stopped at the grocers and picked up a large jar since the larger size was on sale. She pulled into the driveway of Freddie's house and pressed the garage door button on her sun visor. On one of her exploring trips she had discovered that the only thing in Freddie's three car garage was his car… that's it, nothing else. Sitting on a shelf next to the door into the house was three garage door openers… she'd experimented and found one that opened and closed the single door on the far side of the garage. Ever since then, she'd began parking her car in the garage… she chuckled to herself about how nice it was for Freddie to take such good care of her, and not even know it. She pulled into the garage and pressed the button again; the garage door closed.

Fred was sitting in First Class with his laptop open catching up on his email. He glanced at the clock in the corner of the computer; 5:50 PM… he had about an hour to go.

Sam finished her dinner, and sat for a moment sipping a glass of pinot noir wine. After a bit, she got up, gathered up her dishes and washed them and the frying pan. She dried everything and put it away… she liked a clean kitchen. It made things easier the next time she needed to prepare something. She started thinking about that shower… yeah, that was going to feel good after today. She could hardly wait. She stepped back into her apartment and got undressed. She looked around for her robe, and then remembered it was in her dirty clothes hamper. She shrugged slightly and streaked through the house. Freddie had a robe hanging on a peg inside the shower room… she'd borrow it. It wouldn't be the first time. As she walked into his bedroom she noticed his alarm clock read 6:59 PM. She continued on into the bathroom.

Fred had landed, got his luggage and now was riding in a cab… he'd be home in about fifteen minutes. It had been a long day… he was ready to relax. The clock on the cab's dash said 7:05 PM.

Sam stepped into the shower and pressed the little screen… it came on immediately. She pressed the little red dot next to 'setting twelve' and reveled in the cascading water for a moment… she let the water pulse and pour over her while she felt her muscles relax… she took some shampoo and washed and rinsed her hair, then reached for the conditioner.

Fred was standing just inside his front door while the cabbie brought in the last of his luggage. He paid the tab, and tipped the fellow about double what he should have. The driver thanked him, and turned to walk back to his car. Fred looked at his luggage, and thought 'screw this'. He tiredly began walking back toward his bedroom… he stopped for a moment and said:

"House, occupancy program one, office program two, shower setting number four."

"Occupancy program one, office program two, shower setting number four, acknowledged." House replied.

He continued down the hallway hearing his office computers begin to boot.

Sam noticed the shower streams had changed, and the water temperature had gotten slightly warmer. She was right in the middle of lathering the conditioner… she'd deal with the change when she finished rinsing.

Fred was stripped by the time he entered the bathroom. He had just tossed his clothes on the floor as he pulled them off… he walked over to the linen closet and listened to the shower… he couldn't wait. This shower, heck, the bathroom, had cost a ton of money, but it was more than worth every nickel. He grabbed a towel and headed into the shower room.

Sam had her eyes closed and both hands in her hair, beginning to rinse the conditioner out.

Fred rounded the corner of the room sized shower, stepped in… and dropped his towel.

* * *

**=Required reading=**

Anything by these fine authors:

KingxLeon21

BaalRules

BoxOfTrinkets

Dwyn Arthur

heartlines

Moviepal

TheWrtrInMe (Ao3)

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

**Well now… things seem to be getting interesting!**

**Tell me your thoughts.**

**Will things heat up?**

**Come to a boil?**

**Or are these two all wet.**

**With everything just going**

**down the drain?**

**Review please!**


	8. When you're hearts on fire

The Apartment

8: When you're hearts on fire, soap gets in your eyes?

Sam sensed a presence and blinked her eyes open, only to have the conditioner blur her vision completely. She was able to make out the blurry outline of a man… she gasped and attempted to cover herself with one arm over her breasts and her other hand over her groin. For the briefest of moments she went into her thirteen year old attack mode… then maturity spoke and she used her head. There was no way she could fend off an attacker, especially a male, in the shower. It was far too slippery for that kind of thing. No… she'd have to let him get close… even maybe touch her… and then knee the shit out of his nuts and run like hell. She blinked her eyes again to no avail… she still couldn't make out a thing. But the guy hadn't moved. Blinking a few more times finally got rid of the conditioner in her eyes…

Shit…

Freddie was standing at the entrance to the shower. His eyes were wide open, as was his mouth. He had been holding a towel in front of him, and then dropped it.

Oh… even better… he's naked, and wanting to use _his_ shower. Just. Fucking. Perfect. Sam mused sarcastically to herself.

"WHA…" He choked, and then stopped speaking. He shook his head as if to clear his mind, but the expression on his face was unchanged… his mouth slack, open.

"WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Fred exclaimed suddenly.

"Long story… look, give me a minute and I'll be done... I'll get out of your way." Sam said peevishly.

He was mesmerized… and doing a wonderful impression of a statue. He stared for a moment more, saying nothing.

"Take a picture why don't you…" She blurted sarcastically.

He slumped… more like deflated, and said; "Look… sorry I yelled… it's just not, you know, every day I come home to a naked woman in my shower. Just… just… oh hell, scoot over. There's plenty of room." He said stepping into the shower.

Sam jerked back, and then retreated to the farthest wall, still keeping herself covered. When her back touched the wall she found she was stunned into near immobility. A rush of emotions pummeled her: Surprise at his unbelievable audacity… anger… and an overwhelming urge to knock the crap out of him for being so bold. She prepared herself to yell, to loudly make him understand her displeasure… nothing came out. Her mouth was set, her words chosen… nothing happened. She watched him as he began to rinse himself off and then lather his body. She physically shrugged, and went back to rinsing her hair. If he had the guts for this, then so did she… maybe. She glanced at him briefly, and sighed inwardly. She swore she could actually feel her heightened adrenaline levels seeming to wash down her, into the drain. But something else was stirring in her… something that she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

She'd tried, but failed miserably… she didn't want to, but she couldn't help herself.

She checked him out… totally.

He really looked better than she remembered. He turned and gave her a wonderful view of a sort of defined six pack, and muscular arms and thighs… and that ass… his butt was still… gah! She turned away. The thoughts she was having… she needed to get the heck out of this shower… now.

She glanced back at him and noticed he'd turned again while washing his hair… is he really? His eyes were closed. She stared unabashedly… yep, he was getting… well, hard.

Little Freddie was indeed coming to attention.

She chuckled, turned to face him again, closed her eyes, raised her arms and resumed rinsing her hair.

He looked at her quizzically…

Well, he hoped she took it as a quizzical look. He really didn't want her to think he was eye fucking her… but he was, and he knew it… and really wasn't going to stop if he could continue doing it on the sly. Damn, the years had… well they had done some fine things to her body. Her boobs were… bigger! Not quite as perky as before maybe, but _good lord_ they were fine. She certainly still had legs all the way up to her ass… that ass… and what a fine sculpted piece of work that ass of hers is. Then… right then… the bubble demons struck. Just to make matters even worse, a tiny soap bubble dripped from the end of her hair… it was surreal, like slow motion… it slid down from her collar bone, made its way along the swell of her left breast, shifted slightly when her boob 'jiggled' as she continued to rinse her hair, just missing her areola. The bubble stopped and grew for a moment, poised to drip from it's position just below her nipple, before dripping down again to land just above her pubic mound, which was now sporting a well trimmed 'landing strip'.

She lowered her arms and opened her eyes.

His dick twitched.

She chuckled again.

"What? What's so funny?" He asked her.

Well, part of you is glad to see me…" She said grinning.

He looked down at himself, shrugged and said; "Hey, I'm a guy…" all the while watching his dick do this incredible twitching 'danse de l'amour'.

She smirked, and nodded.

"Is the water cold? Is there a draft?" He asked her.

She looked confused for a moment, slightly shook her head and then replied; "No…"

"Well then… you're not all that upset by me being here either… you could poke an eye out with those nipples." He said smirking.

She was stunned for a moment, and briefly put her hands back over her breasts… then dropped her arms and began to blush and laugh.

"Damn, Benson…" She said between chortles.

"Hey, you started it!" He retorted, smiling.

"Yeah, well you've grown a bone… er, bad analogy…" She stuttered.

He grinned.

"What I meant was that you've gotten pretty ballsy… shit!" She said, her face blushing pink.

He chuckled.

"You know what I mean!" She said, obviously embarrassed.

He laughed and turned to rinse off.

Sam shook her head in disbelief… how could she be so… inane? She quickly finished her ablutions, and began to step out of the shower.

"Sam, use my robe around the corner… and. could you get another out of the bath closet for me… and another towel, please?" He called after her.

"Sure…" She replied while wrapping her towel around herself.

She stepped around the corner, finished drying herself and slipped on his robe. Going to the closet, she took a fresh towel and did her wet hair up in it. She took another towel to replace the dropped and now soaking wet one, and another robe. Going back into the shower room, she hung the fresh robe on the peg, stepped around the corner again and hung his towel on the towel rack. She turned back to Freddie, gave him a combination smile and slightly embarrassed sideways grimace, and turned to leave.

"Sam…" He called.

She turned back and faced him with a questioning look.

"Ah… you know, you're really very beautiful… I, I just wanted to say that…" He stammered.

As nice as the compliment was, it was still a bit disconcerting coming from a naked man in the shower with a hard on…

"Oh… um, thanks… and… and, my stuff." She stammered back, gesturing toward the wall.

"Yeah Sam, your 'stuff'… the years have been very kind to you. Your 'stuff' is… well gorgeous, and seems to defy gravity! And, ah… you used to kind of go 'au natural'… when did you start the 'landing strip'?" He asked, gesturing toward her lower half.

Sam felt the blush down to her toes. Luckily, she had the robe on.

"No, no… I meant my shampoo and soap, my soap stuff…" She grinned sheepishly.

"Oh! Oh yeah… sure… um, sorry… well, no, not sorry… oh hell, here." He said haltingly while gathering up and handing her the few bottles.

She gathered up the bottles, they smiled at each other nervously, and then she turned and left. When he heard the door close he literally face palmed himself while mumbling "Did I really just comment on her pubic coiffure?"

Sam stopped just outside the shower room door, and leaned back onto the wall. She was _embarrassed_.

'Not just slightly embarrassed, like one could feel about a tiny indiscretion in public… no, this was embarrassed like the time she was eleven or twelve… she'd already started to get boobs the year before, but her mom hadn't gotten her a bra yet...' She remembered… she'd been playing football with a bunch of boys in the park. It _was _raining, but heck… it was football. She'd noticed she was the most popular player on the field, but couldn't figure out why… until she looked down. She had been wearing a boy's white 'T' shirt that's now soaking wet… the shirt was transparent. The guys could see everything.

She shook her head at that memory. She remembered she hadn't come out of her room for two days after, and then _forced_ her mother to get her some bras.

'Logically, there was no reason to be embarrassed…' She mused. 'It wasn't like the first time he'd seen _all_ of her, or her of him for that matter… but that was years ago… ten years… yep, ten years ago… and here she was being embarrassed because he walked in on her while she was using _his_ shower, in _his_ house, and he'd had _no idea_ she was even there.' She knew… she had to get the hell out of this place, now… before he threw her out.

She shook her head, and with new resolve strode out of the bathroom.

Freddie was standing still, unmoving, letting the water run over him… he was thinking. Why was she here using his shower? He really didn't mind… although it would have been nice to know, but he found he really didn't care. He did want to talk with her before she left… and… he was having second thoughts about being so brash, getting into the shower with her.

'That was just stupid…' he said out loud to himself.

He wasn't sure what the heck was going on, but he was positive he'd just made a major blunder. He finished rinsing himself off and touched the screen. The shower shut off. He reached for the towel Sam had brought him, and began to dry off… he needed to talk to her, now.

Sam rounded the corner into his bedroom and noticed clothes in a trail all over the floor. She walked past them, through the front room and into the kitchen. She shuddered, put her toiletries on the kitchen counter and went back and picked all his dirty clothes up off the floor. She'd turned into a bit of a neat freak once she had gotten out on her own, and clothes on the floor was one of her pet peeves. She'd seen, but never used, a clothes hamper that was in the linen closet in the bathroom. She walked back into the bathroom, over to the walk in linen closet and opened the door… to find a naked Freddie starting to step into a pair of boxers. He looked up, startled, lost his balance and fell back, rump first on the floor. Sam rushed forward saying; "Are you all…" Then got yanked back, tipped and fell to the floor herself… partly in, but mostly out of her robe, since most of the robe was hanging off the door knob.

"Are you okay?" Freddie said while standing. He stepped into his underwear and reached over and took the bewildered woman's arm.

"Are you okay?" He asked again, getting her untangled from the robe while helping her up. She stood up, completely nude again, and slightly stunned from the fall. Freddie unhooked the robe from the doorknob, shook it out and put it over her shoulders.

"Sam, are you alright?" He asked once again.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm okay… what happened?" She asked.

"The robe sash caught on the door knob…" He replied. "Here, let me help you get into this…" He said moving around in front of her, opening the robe and helping her to get her arms in the sleeves.

Sam was stupefied once again. He had casually opened the robe, fully exposing herself to him, _again_, without saying a word. She was mortified.

He reached into the open drawer, pulled out another pair of boxers, knelt in front of her and looked up; "Here, step into these…" He said.

She looked at him for a moment as if in a daze, then put her hands on his shoulders, and lifted her left leg; he pulled the shorts over her foot, tapped her right leg, and pulled them over the other when she had switched legs. Without a word, he pulled the boxers up her legs, and rolled the top band a few times to keep it from sliding down. He reached around behind her, took the sash and tied her robe closed. He stood, smiled and nonchalantly said;

"Comfy now?"

She stared at him in bewilderment.

"You look really tense… here…" He said as he pulled two pair of fur lined moccasin slippers from the cubby. He dropped them both on the floor, knelt again and took each of her ankles in turn while slipping her feet into the slippers. He stood again, slipped his slippers on, took his robe from a peg and put it on.

"C'mon…" He said tugging her arm.

"But your dirty clothes are all over the floor…" She said as he tugged her out of the closet.

"We'll get 'em later… c'mon." He said pulling her through the bathroom.

In a moment, they were in the front room. She began to sit on the couch, but he gently pulled and positioned her sitting on the floor with her back leaning on the couch.

"Stay right there… I'll be right back." He said smiling.

She was still too stunned to do anything else.

He went into the kitchen. She could hear the refrigerator open and close, and then a cupboard do the same. He came back into the front room with her bottle of pinot noir and a single wine glass.

"This isn't mine… is it yours?" He asked holding up the wine bottle.

She numbly nodded.

"Good… here then, have some of this…" he said pouring her glass half full and handing it to her.

She took the glass, and had a sip. He sat on the couch, edged one leg around her until the back of her head was just above his crotch. He gently pulled the robe down a bit exposing her shoulders, and began to rub…

Sam stiffened for a moment, and then quietly groaned in ecstasy… Freddie gave the best shoulder and back rubs on the planet… she took another sip of wine and sat the glass down. She also remembered that his backrubs generally led to incredible sex… monumental sex… sex so fulfilling that the actual act should have some sort of new age statue built and displayed in the town square in it's honor… sex so good it was worth naming a parade after.

She moaned.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear; "Starting to unwind a bit? Felling better?"

'Good lord… that was… so very… sexy.' She thought. Her head began to loll about… and she didn't care.

After about ten or fifteen minutes of pure bliss, and as many moans, Freddie leaned over again and whispered in her ear; "Would you like a back rub now?"

Deep from within her, a tiny little five year old voice squeaked out; "Uh huh…"

He helped her stand, slipped the robe off, laid it on the leather couch seat and helped her lay down, backside up. He straddled her butt and sat on it… she didn't care. Those fingers and palms of his had already started their magic.

She groaned in pleasure again.

His hands were working the pleasure mine overtime… and her butt… he had his crotch right on her ass, and moved and scooted around on her butt as he performed these heavenly ministrations on her back and shoulder blades. She was getting very, very horny. _She_ could sense her musky scent… he must be drowning in it. She didn't care.

At this point, if he rolled her over she'd see to it that their boxers wouldn't hit the floor before he was inside her. She. Was. Ready. But he didn't do that, he just continued the delicious back rub. Her mind went back to some of the other back rubs he'd given her… and the results.

She moaned.

She began to notice him getting hard again… he was straddling her butt, and kind of dancing around on her. Delicious…

She moaned.

If she wasn't already in nirvana, it was just down the road with big neon signs flashing: 'TAKE THE NEXT TURN OFF'.

She moaned…

The next thing she realized was… he was gone. She must have dozed off. She was still lying on top of her robe, but there was a light blanket pulled up to her neck. She blinked her eyes… she could hear him talking from another room. She got up, stretched, and went off to find him. His office lights were on… he was sitting in a large chair, facing a computer while talking on his phone… ordering something… ordering a pizza.

No. Fucking. Way.

She realized she wasn't wearing the robe, and the blanket had fallen off her when she stood up off the couch. All she had on was his boxers… all the better. She walked into his office, and spun the chair around to face her slowly. She slowly bent forward, hung there for a moment with her breasts about an inch from his face, and then oh so slowly sat down straddling him. He stopped talking. He may have stopped breathing for a moment… she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in to his ear, and said in her most seductive whisper; "I can fix you pork chops with apple sauce and fried potatoes before they can get a pizza here… my pork chops… remember them? Remember how much you liked them? Want some? Remember how they made you want to… nibble… remember how you liked to lick my pork chops… want some of my pork chops? My hot. Juicy. Pork chops…"

He flipped the phone closed.

* * *

_I think we'll change this to an 'M' rating._

_Just wait for the next chapter._

_:pig~_

* * *

__So, how about that review?

* * *

**=Required reading=**

Anything by these fine authors:

KingxLeon21

BaalRules

BoxOfTrinkets

Dwyn Arthur

heartlines

Moviepal

TheWrtrInMe (Ao3)

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

-x-


	9. Pork Chops

As I said in the last chapter; I've switched this story to 'M' rated, and here are the reasons…

The Apartment

* * *

9: Pork Chops

She heard the cell phone '_click_' closed, and glanced over at his right hand holding the cell phone. He opened his hand and the phone dropped… she doesn't know why he did that, and watched the phone fall to the floor… it made a little 'thud' as it hit the carpet. She sat up straight, still straddling him, which had an effect she hadn't even thought of… her boobs were again about an inch from his face. She looked down at him and watched as his face morphed into this goofy grin… and she could swear she saw his eyes kind of glaze over.

"Freddie?" She asked, confused.

His tongue flicked out and licked her right nipple…

"Freddie!" She squeaked, startled.

Before she could finish saying his name, he had stopped licking her nipple and began gently sucking it… kneading it with lips, flicking it every so often with his tongue. As if they had a mind of their own, her right hand gripped his robe at the shoulder, while her left hand cradled the back of his head and held him to her breast. Her stomach seemed to be doing somersaults, but her hips were starting to grind.

"…pork… ohgawds… chops? She husked out with a moan.

She felt more than heard Freddie make some moaning growl… not stopping his incredible lip and tongue service for a second. His right hand began gently kneading her left breast while his thumb began a litany of revolving around her areola and nipple…

Her tits were on fire… her crotch was smoldering and her mind was fogging over. Her head lolled back, her eyes closed. It was just then that she realized something…

She really didn't want to do this… she didn't want to have sex with him… at the moment anyway. At best he would think she was just some gold digger, using sex to get to his money… at worst, a slut.

"No… don't… stop…" She growled between gasps for breath.

'_You idiot! You just told him not to stop!_' The voice in her mind shouted.

Then she realized something else. She was wearing men's boxers… Sure, when she was a kid she wore boxer shorts all the time… sometimes over her panties. The boxers she used to wear were not meant to be worn as underwear… they were just, boxer shorts… they looked just like men's underwear except for one small, but very major difference.

Men's boxers have an access fold over in the front, hers didn't.

Freddie's left hand knew all about that access opening… she could feel his deft fingers gently slide the opening apart. It was nothing for him… his well practiced fingers had done it thousands of times… and then one finger was now gently rubbing her folds while his thumb was circling her clit.

Her jaw dropped, she arched her back and gulped a breath… her legs shot out as she rocked her pelvis.

She moaned out a breath, and gulped in another.

His middle finger slipped inside her, while his thumb continued circling her clit. His probing digit sent her senses into overload… she began grinding against his knuckles, her breath coming in ragged gasps… she looked down, seeing most of his hand inside her boxers… she threw her head back while somewhere inside her a whimpering growl grew into a carnal howl erupting from her in such intensity he stopped for a moment… he shifted his hand… she looked down, ready to shout her displeasure… while never stopping his thumb motion he slowly rotated his hand and simultaneously shifted a second finger inside her… her mind turned into a pleasure sponge, shutting down any coherent thought while the heat from below ravaged it's way up and up… she imploded in a quivering mass of orgasmic bliss, leaned forward and collapsed over him like an old blanket, gasping for air.

Freddie held her tight… with his right arm. Not only because he _liked_ holding her, but also so she wouldn't slip off his lap and fall to the floor. He remembered how she used to take a bit of time to come back from her orgasms… and that she liked to be held after. He began rubbing slow circles across her back as he cradled her on his lap… he really missed this closeness, he missed her… his mind wandered to a number of things; why was she here, mainly… and he also wondered if she was ready for round two… in the bedroom. He'd ask her in a bit, for now, he'd just hold her.

After a few minutes her breathing was returning to normal, she began to stir. He moved his head so he could whisper in her ear; "Shall we take this into the bedroom?"

Silence… and then a tiny shake of her head.

"Here then? On the chair?" He asked.

Another little head shake, and then she sat up.

"Freddie… please, move your hand… hard to think with your fingers inside me…" She whimpered.

"Oh… sorry." He said removing his hand and wiping himself off on his robe.

"Freddie… this is not the way I… well, no… look, I really feel weird about this. Yes, I know, don't look so confused… I started it… I know… I know. I also know you made me feel wonderful just now. But… I don't want to go any further… for now anyway. Do you mind? Oh… stupid question… of course you mind, but can you understand? Can you do this… or not do this, really?" She said haltingly.

Fred was tangled in thoughts and emotions. Part of him was livid… part of him curious. He knew he had to mask his feelings though… especially the anger. He looked down, staring at her boobs.

She covered herself with her hands.

"You're angry aren't you… and you have every right to be with me sitting on you nearly naked and all that pork chop nonsense… I honestly don't blame you. I'll leave." She said standing.

She looked down, and noticed the bulge in his boxers… and felt horrible.

"Do you really have pork chops?" He asked.

"Huh?" Was her confused reply.

"Pork chops… and applesauce with fried potatoes… do you have them? Can you fix them? I'm starving." He said.

"Oh, well yes… I do and can… I guess. But, don't you think it would be better if I left? Aren't you mad?" She asked.

"Well… I'm not… you know… happy, but I'm not… well yeah, I am a bit angry, Sam… but I'm also hungry, confused and curious." He stated.

She was surprised about the pork chops, and just stood staring at him for a moment. He thought she looked sexy as hell standing there with her red boxers all askew and her hands over her tits. He stood directly in front of her, reached down, took her boxers and shifted them around until they were straightened out again. Then he rolled the elastic top down onto her hips again, shifted around behind her and put his hand in the small of her back. He gently pushed her until she started walking beside him. He stopped behind the couch, reached over, picked up her robe and put it over her shoulders.

"Better?" He asked.

She nodded, and fished her arms into the sleeves.

He took the sash, tied the robe closed, gently put his hand under her chin, and gave her a sweet, but chaste kiss.

"…sorry, I just wanted to do that…" He mumbled.

She smiled slightly, nodding her head.

They stood, not touching, barely breathing… staring into each others eyes. Both thinking they hadn't been regarded like this since…

"So… how about those pork chops?" She nervously blurted out.

The moment was broken… he slightly nodded, still confused and a bit disappointed.

"Okay…" He said.

She walked around him, into the kitchen. He followed, watching her. He had to admit, she gave him a new level of appreciation to a blue terrycloth robe.

"So, want some help?" He asked.

"Nope, you just sit right here." She said reaching up to his shoulder and pushing him down into a chair at the kitchen table.

He reached up and put his hand over hers on his shoulder… the stare resumed. After a full minute, Sam stammered; "…um, I should… maybe I should start now?"

She gave his hand a little squeeze, and then slowly walked over to the kitchen counter, glancing over her shoulder at him every couple of steps… 'This is too perfect' she thought. "Too perfect… something's going to blow up in my face… it's just… he's…' She couldn't put her finger on it, but something told her this could be him… her once and future man… hers.

Fred watched as she silently started the food preparation. Something was odd though… then it struck him. The pork chops, well everything was in his fridge! She hadn't asked him about a thing. She knew where everything was. She's cooked here before… it's like she lives here… she _is_ living here! He realized.

He grinned to himself, but said nothing. He watched her scuttle about the kitchen for a bit… she did so like he wasn't even there; she was lost in her own world. Finally, after about ten minutes of silent observation, he decided to give her a break… he knew her boxer shorts were soaked… a by product of the last half hour… he also remembered she used to hate that, and had voiced her opinion on not being 'fresh' after varied situations all those years ago. He was betting she hadn't changed her opinion on that subject… but he could have a little fun, first.

He knew he hadn't seen a car in his driveway, or on the street in front of his house when the cabbie dropped him off… he was betting her car was in his garage. He got up; she glanced over at him briefly and asked him if he needed anything…

"No, I just wanted to change into some sweats and then start some laundry… I've got a bag of dirty clothes by the front door… you know, I think I'll get the laundry going first. Then I need to check on my car… make sure the battery is okay after sitting all this time." He replied while walking toward the front of the house.

"Oh! I'll get it, and… and do the laundry for you. I'm sure your car is fine… just sit there, almost ready!" She blurted out with a harried look.

'Yup, car in the garage…' He thought while suppressing a chuckle.

"Sam, that's silly… I'm perfectly capable of doing my own laundry. Besides, you used to hate that… no, you're busy with my dinner, and I really appreciate this, you cooking for me. I'll be right back, I really want to check on my car." He said.

She dropped what she was doing and ran to him, taking his arm.

"Ah… no, wait a while, dinner will be ready in a jiffy… and… and…I don't want it to get cold!" She stammered.

He pulled her into a hug: "Is it maybe that there's a strange car in the garage?" He said to the top of her head.

"You jerk! You know, don't you?" She said pulling back from him.

"Sam… it's not hard to figure out! You know more about my kitchen than I do, and it explains why you were in my shower." He said smiling.

"You're not mad? And I can go… I'll finish dinner for you and go." She started.

"No… curious though. I have a feeling Ann and Holly have something to do with this. You must have a good reason to be staying here. As far as moving, if that's what you keep alluding too, why? Where would you go, a hotel? Look, I'll tend the kitchen, you go get into some sweats or whatever it is you wear to get comfortable. Then I'll go change myself… while we eat, you can tell me what's going on. Okay?" Fred cut in, grinning.

She pulled him into a hug, saying a muffled 'thanks' into his chest… and held the hug just a bit too long. She was enjoying this… this… whatever it was.

They broke the hug, smiled and silently began their new tasks: Freddie manning the stove while Sam retreated into the apartment. She closed the door, then opened it back up, stepped out and reminded him not to let the chops burn.

He nodded his agreement.

She stepped back into the apartment, and quickly laid out some sweats and underwear on the bed. Stepping into her bathroom, she stripped off and cleaned herself up. That taken care off, she began to dress… _girl_ boxers, sweat pants… she picked up her bra, and stared at it for a moment.

'Freddie always was a boob guy… I'll give him a thrill… and a bit of payback.' She thought while dropping the bra and pulling the sweatshirt on. She didn't bother with makeup, but did check herself in the mirror. She stepped back, turned and took a couple steps toward the mirror, checking 'the jiggle'… and smiled.

She went back out to the kitchen, making sure to sway just enough to cause her boobs to bounce and sway as well… not flop around, but just a bit of movement… just so he'd notice. He glanced at her as she approached, stood back from the grill and handed her the spatula.

"Okay, my turn…" He said, smiling, and went off toward his bedroom.

'…damn, he didn't even notice!' Sam thought while checking the pork chops and potatoes.

Freddie got around the corner, heading toward his bedroom, stopped, and quietly gasped in a breath of air. He'd been holding his breath since tits, er… Sam walked out of the apartment with her tits… um… well, yeah, her tits… he continued walking into his bedroom grinning like a kid at Christmas… visions of Sam's boobs dancing in his head.

He changed, washed up and had just finished pulling a sweatshirt over his head when he heard Sam holler: "It's ready!"

He walked around the corner, back into the kitchen as she was dishing up two chops on his plate that already had fried potatoes and a generous dollop of applesauce on it.

"Nice ti-aaah… chops…" He said, and grimaced slightly while sitting.

"Thanks!" Sam said grinning inwardly.

He noticed she had no plate; this began a five minute discussion that resulted in them sharing, and quietly eating until:

"So… what's the story, Sam?" He asked.

Sam chewed for a moment with a thoughtful expression. "Where to start… at the beginning I guess. I came by three weeks ago last Saturday to apologize…"

She told him everything in order of the timeline. She started with when she threw him out, continued with Dr. Schultz, touched lightly on her poor choice of men, moving here, meeting him, and Ann and Holly, his books, her flooded apartment, and ended when she moved in to his apartment. By the time she was finished they had eaten, washed and dried the dishes and put them away. They were now having a cup of coffee, sitting across from each other at the kitchen table.

Fred hadn't interrupted throughout the entire time.

"…so, that's it, up to you finding me in your shower tonight." Sam said.

Freddie nodded.

"Okay, well first, although they aren't necessary, apologies accepted. You did get one thing wrong though; Samuella. She's not a combination of you and I… she's all you. You're just too close to see it… too… you, I guess. But, I'm pleased to hear about you and your sister getting along better… and I'm sorry about your mom, and Carly. I know the stuff about Carly, I'd heard from Spencer once while I was still in San Francisco… you know, life goes on. It's really kind of funny though. I have the same problem with my mother, just opposite of yours. My mom won't let me grow up. She drives me insane sometimes. That's why I live here… I keep a place in Petaluma, just north of San Francisco… she thinks I live there, and I encourage her to come and visit when I'm there. Then I get busy with my imaginary job and have to leave after a couple of days. She and I get to visit, but then I get to escape after she starts getting crazy again. If she makes an unexpected visit, she finds the place vacant and I tell her I'm working out of town. That's mean I guess, but… it works.

Sam laughed; "I wouldn't have thought you had that in you! But it is a great idea given the situation… funny… my mom's oblivious, yours is overbearing. Seems like old times. Your mom doesn't know about the books?

"Nope, I've never told her." Fred said shaking his head.

"And what's this about Samuella being all me? I'm not like that… I mean, she's not some evil thing, sure… but she sure isn't me."

"You're forgetting; I've seen the caring Sam… yeah, Samuella is based on you… well, with some embellishments, sure. I mean the space pilot stuff and all that. You're like fine steel, tempered with rose petals… always have been."

Sam blushed, but said nothing.

"Now, about you moving… why? I know how hard it is to find a place here in the area. So stay here, I insist. Really… besides you cook, I don't. It would be great for me." Fred said.

Sam began to object, Fred cut her off…

"Don't even argue. Just stay here. I promise I won't jump in the shower with you anymore… well, unless you invite me. And, well, what are friends for?"

"Freddie… I… can't! It's just too awkward!" Sam rejoined.

"Oh, okay… awkward… what, are you afraid I'm going to sneak into the apartment and ravish you some night?" He retorted.

"No… you know I'd just poke you in the eye." Sam replied, laughing.

"What, poke me in the eye? With your nipple? I might like that…" He said smiling.

"Freddie!" Sam said brandishing a fist, but smiling all the while.

"Don't Freddie me! I saw that sashay, and no bra. You don't normally walk like that." Fred said, grinning.

"Ah… you did notice then… caught me." Sam said, slightly blushing again.

"Yeah, which brings me to the next question… what about us?" Fred asked.

"Well aren't you the bold one? I don't know… I mean, the idea has crossed my mind… you game for trying round two?" Sam asked turning away, a bit embarrassed to be having this conversation.

"Alright, confession time… I've thought a lot about this ever since Stu and Ann's barbeque. Yeah, let's try it. We'll either make a total mess of things or we won't. My bet is we won't… there's something there, Sam… and I can't explain it. I wasn't pining away over you, but then when we met again… well, I think I'd rather find out just what 'that something' is than not know… so, you're up for this too, huh?" He said.

"I'm up for the possibility… but, we're not kids, we're different now… we've grown up. We need to date, we need to get to know each other again… and that's going to be very weird if I'm living here." Sam said in a matter of fact manor.

"Okay, we'll date. We can work out living arrangements tomorrow… I'm tired; I've had a long day and a strange, but fulfilling evening. I'm going to bed." Fred replied.

"Me too." Sam said standing.

"Hug?" Freddie asked, opening his arms.

"Sure…" Sam said embracing him.

She woke up, again… her alarm clock changed from 3:10 to 3:11 AM… she's tossed and turned, and dozed just a bit all night. She's edgy, jumpy… tired but wide awake. She knows why… she feels like she's back at the insane asylum wondering… about him. Except this time is different, this time is actually worse. He wants her, she wants him… and yet they've just agreed to this strange ritual… dating. She's scared, nervous that once he sees how the woman turned out… she's not the girl he knew then. She's still Sam, but ten years older and wiser, she's better than she was by a long shot, but is that who he wants? He's so much bolder, she smiles remembering the events of the night… the shower, the closet, the couch and the office chair. She really likes this 'new' Freddie… but he's just new to her… this is who he has evolved into…

Will he like who she's become?

She gets out of bed and pads into the apartments tiny front room. She notices a light glowing softly through her curtained window that overlooks the back yard. She pulls apart the drapes…

He's in the in ground hot tub. There's a watery light glowing out of the water illuminating him, the bubbles and the steam rising out of the tub. He's got her bottle of wine and takes a small sip from it, and then sets it back on the side of the tub. She's drawn to him like a moth to a flame… he takes another drink from the bottle. She stands in front of the mirror, bed hair, an oversized white 'T' shirt and white flannel pajama pants. If she gets in the tub like this it will be that football game all over again… she doesn't care. She opens her door, steps around the walk and into the backyard.

"So, is this a private party or can anyone join in…" She asks as she walks over to the tub.

"Semi private I guess… but you have a standing invitation, anytime." He answers, surprised.

"Are you decent?" She asked.

"Swimming trunks…" He replied.

Sam walked around to the opposite side of the tub, and knelt down.

"Can't sleep?" She asked running her hand through the bubbling, steamy water.

"Nope… same with you?" He replied.

Sam nodded.

"It's cold out here, hand me the wine." She said holding out her hand.

He does so; she takes a long drink from the bottle.

"So, why can't you sleep?" He asked.

She shrugged.

"Nerves?" He pressed.

She shrugged.

"Well, that's what has me up… nerves, apprehension… about… well about us." He stammered.

"…me too…" She whispered, smiling at him.

"You know Sam… do you know just how lucky I am?"

She shook her head.

"Well, I always thought you'd end up with some hunk named Drake Hurricane… have about a dozen kids and be the happiest woman on earth… and yet, here you are…"

She smiled, sat down on the edge, and rolled her legs over the side and into the water. A moment later, she slid in and sat on the ledge. The deliciously hot, bubbling water only came up to Freddie's chest… it was up to her neck.

"Do I have to hide my eyes?" He asked, grinning.

"Nope, you don't." She answered.

"You know…" He started to say, gesturing at her.

"Yep, see through, totally transparent. Oh well… wine?" She replied holding the bottle out to him.

They sat in the swirling hot water, passing the wine back and forth until it was gone. Neither saying a word, both reveling in the presence of the other.

The temperature dropped, it started to rain.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Yeah… I am." She said.

He stood, and helped her up the steps. They began to shiver in the cold rain. Quickly walking back into the house, he led them, dripping wet, through the house and into his bathroom. He got two towels out of the closet and held one out for her… she shook her head.

She closed the distance between them, looked directly into his eyes and gently pushed his swimming trunks off… they literally made a puddle on the floor. She pulled of her shirt, resumed her stare, and then pushed down and stepped out of her soaked pajama pants and underwear.

She put her arms around his neck, stood on her toes, and kissed him.

When they broke apart, he stared back, and whispered; "Why the look, what are you staring at?"

She shook her head, smiled and said; "House; shower setting number twelve."

They heard the shower splash to life.

* * *

**=Required reading=**

_You must read: Through a Mirror, Refracted_

_By: Lady Lioness_

And anything by these fine authors:

KingxLeon21

BaalRules

BoxOfTrinkets

Dwyn Arthur

heartlines

Moviepal

TheWrtrInMe (Ao3)

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

* * *

-x-

* * *

**The name 'Drake Hurricane' used with permission from author JuliIsMe**

**+ _Review Please _+**


	10. Setting Number Four

The Apartment

10: Setting Number Four

* * *

Sam grabbed his arm and literally pulled him into the shower. Shoving him into the center, she wrenched him around, facing her before pushing him up against the back wall.

"Ow!" He said when he bumped his head.

"Sorry…" She murmured and smiled as she grabbed his shoulders and held him against the wall.

"What are you doing, Sam?" He asked, returning the smile.

Sam shook her head and placed two fingers on his lips, quieting him. "Wash my hair." She whispered, turning slowly around.

Freddie watched her turn; gulped, and then shrugged and looked up for her shampoo… which isn't there. Before he could comment, and offer to go get it for her, she backed into him and began grinding her ass against his dick. Suddenly, all thoughts of hair washing melted away like snow on a hot day. He reached around her and began caressing and kneading her breasts while working up her shoulders and into the nape of her neck with kisses.

She ground into him harder while beginning a slight sway motion as well.

He groaned, she whimpered, and then threw her head back to give him more access to her neck… taking her cue, he began to gently kiss and lick his way along her neck and jaw line. She put her arms behind her and grabbed his hips, pulling him closer while she continued her up and down, and side to side grinding.

"Fuck!" He growled into her ear. She smiled.

Suddenly his left hand gave her left nipple a gentle rub, and then slid down her stomach, and began gently rubbing his middle finger past her folds until he'd found her clit.

"Mmmmmm!" She moaned as she arched her back to grind into him even harder. His finger was working her clit, then dipping in her, clit, in, clit, in… until she had lost all interest in, and any thought of the grinding she had started. Freddie continued pleasuring her, finding himself more and more aroused listening to the soft growls and moaning noises Sam made. Sam shifted her pelvis slightly, inhaled sharply and slowly whimpered out the breath. She put her hand over his, stopping his finger while slowly leaning back into him.

"Benson…" She husked out… "This was supposed to be about you… but I ain't complainin'…" She continued while catching her breath.

He resumed his work on her breasts while kissing her softly along her neck.

"You always did like my boobs…" She whispered as she turned to face him.

"mmm hmm…" He said and grinned.

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down slightly, and kissed him. She opened her mouth and he his, slowly toying with each others tongue while he moved his hands gently from her hips, up to the swell of her breasts and back again. She broke the kiss and began leaving tiny kisses in a trail along his jaw line, then along his neck and upper chest. She stopped and licked his nipples for a bit before continuing to kiss down his torso. She knelt down and continued her kisses until she reached his groin. She stopped, looked up into his eyes and began licking the head of his dick while slowly stroking him… never breaking eye contact.

Fred was in lust overload. He tried to continue looking her in the eye, but her swaying breasts kept stealing away what little attention span he had left. After a moment or two she took him in her mouth and began a rhythm with her lips, tongue and head that he knew would end things far sooner than he wanted… he wanted her… he wanted inside her… he wanted to feel what she was like again. The old memories flooded his mind… he on top, she on top, standing… the way it felt to be inside her… the whimpers and growls, the look when she climaxed.

Before he could take any action to stop her himself, she stopped… scooted a bit closer and took his dick between her breasts. She used her hands to press her breasts together and began slowly rubbing them up and down on his swelled dick.

After less than a minute of this Fred finally gasped in air, remembering he needed to breathe. Sam was smiling, staring down at the head of his dick as it lunged out of her cleavage… licking it every now and again.

Fred started franticly looking around them… the marble floor would be warm, but much too hard. Why hadn't he put a bench in this shower! He knelt down, effectively stopping Sam's tit fucking. He grabbed her under her arms and picked her up.

Sam was surprised when Freddie knelt down, until he picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck thinking they would surly fall if they tried to have sex standing in the shower… there was nothing to hold, nothing to grip other than each other. While these thoughts flashed through her mind he had felt her grab around his neck. He released his hold under her arms and grabbed her below her thighs, pulling her up a bit higher. Sam instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips and leaned back slightly. Fred began walking out of the shower, holding Sam and licking and sucking her nipples which were now in his face.

Sam gasped, and moaned.

After a few more steps he sat her on the top of the vanity, stepped back and began tapping her clit with the head of his dick. Pulsing waves of pleasure washed over her. Her head lolled back and she gasped in a number of quick deep breaths before she grabbed his cock and pushed it inside her.

The counter top was cold… but Gods! She felt good… he began slowly pumping in and out of her. She leaned back, using her arms to hold herself up at the best angle for him, and he took it from there. One hand gently massaging her clit while the other roamed from breast to breast… rubbing, caressing… he slowly increased his speed thrusting in and out of her until she thought she would pass out. He took her hips and began pulling her forward as he pressed into her deeper and deeper…

She whimpered… she could feel the heat of him… of her… all she could think of was him inside her, succumbing to the tantric dance again and again, deeper and deeper, faster and faster… their grunts, whimpers and growls creating an erotic symphony… faster faster, deeper deeper. She grabbed his shoulders and began rocking her pelvis to his rhythm finding that spot… that spot… right there. She heard 'YES YES' being chanted in time with his thrusts as the heat continued to burn inside her and was surprised when she realized it was her doing the chanting… words turned into growling, whimpering gibberish as this man / machine pumped into her faster and faster and faster and faster while she rocked in tempo. Her pussy was ablaze, her stomach smoldering and her tits on fire when she felt his cock swell and her muscles contract around him. He released her hips and each hand grabbed her tits and had just begun rubbing her nipples when every bit of her subconscious focused on what was inside her. Her mind blanked as the heat and pleasure rushed through her at hurricane force… pummeling her deeper and deeper into erotic senselessness… she felt his release as it seemed to course through her veins. He grabbed her hips and pressed into her again and again… each time causing her to cry out in pleasure until there was nothing left… nothing… She felt his hands on her shoulders as he pulled her in for a kiss… an animalistic rough kiss that she returned with even more fervor. He broke the kiss and began kissing her jaw line and down her shoulders.

He stopped, and looked at her… all splayed out in front of him… still inside her, still connected… he took her hands in his and kissed each of them in turn, then looked directly into her eyes.

They stared at each other. An open mouthed stare of shock, surprise and disbelief… the stare continued for a few minutes, neither saying a word, neither breaking eye contact as their breathing returned to normal. She watched him as all this unfolded. For just a moment she felt embarrassed, shy, as his eyes roamed her body. Then he took her hands and kissed them. Suddenly she had this urge to blurt out how she was feeling… she remembered it from so long ago… cherished, protected… loved. But, she didn't. '…too soon, for both of us.' She thought.

Finally, they were distracted by a bit of his seed mixed with her release dripping out of her and onto his foot.

He looked down, then back up at her; "You are incredibly beautiful…" He murmured.

She looked into his sparkling eyes, and smiled… and felt her face blush. She laughed.

"What's so funny?" He asked, grinning along with her infectious laugh.

"You, me… us… I'm naked as a jaybird, legs spread apart with you still inside me… and you just made me blush. That's funny." She said.

He kissed her again… she returned the favor. He stepped back slightly which removed his now shrunken and spent self from her, and helped her off the counter.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Kinda shaky… but yeah." She answered, nodding.

"Shower?" He asked.

"What is it with you and showers anymore? But yeah… I think we could both… you know?" She said.

"Do you still like rainstorms?" He asked as they made their way back to the shower, arm in arm.

She looked up at him, surprised by the odd question, but nodded.

He touched the control screen, it glowed, and he pressed '4'.

The shower began dripping water in a random pattern from the ceiling… the whole ceiling. Sam couldn't believe it. If felt like she was standing in a rainstorm… except with warm water.

All they did was wash each other, but it was one of the most pleasurable and erotic '_afters_' either had ever experienced. Lather, caress, rinse… they dried each other off and stood staring at each other… more like through each other… they were each yearning… searching for the spark… and found an inferno.

Fred broke the trance. He stepped into the closet and returned with two robes, draping one over Sam, then himself.

"Sam, I'm sorry… I am so tired…" Freddie lamented while yawning.

"Me too, let's get some sleep." Sam replied, yawning as well.

Fred grinned, took her hand and led her back into his bedroom. He stood by the bed, looking thoroughly confused while Sam continued to the doorway, turned to face him, smiled and said goodnight. He couldn't believe it… after all the insanity tonight, she still wanted to sleep in the damned apartment.

"Sam! Wait, what are you doing?" He asked, flustered.

"I'm going to bed, of course… what?' response. She responded, confused.

Fred threw back the covers on his bed, and motioned toward it. This was it, she thought. This is not how she had wanted tonight to go…

"Freddie, I thought we had agreed to date." She stated.

Fred looked at her for a moment, then sat on the edge of the bed; "Sam, come sit with me, please."

She moved over beside him, wrapped the robe around herself and sat on the edge of the bed as well.

"Okay, you were kind of iffy about a few things when we were kids… what do you think about having a family… children, kids… where are you with that now?" He asked.

She looked at him for a moment.

"Freddie, this entire evening has been wonderful, but… don't you think this is too fast?"

"No…" He said, shaking his head.

"Oh… well I do, I guess…" Sam said even more confused than she was before.

"Tell me… what about kids?" He asked.

"Yeah… I do want kids, and a house… and… pictures in the hallway." She said quietly.

"Pictures in the hallway?" He asked.

She shrugged.

"How about horror flicks, new of course, but especially vintage?" He continued.

"Well yeah, but…" She started to say.

"Making out in the rain? Crisp fall days? Watching the sunset? Just driving up or down the coast, not caring where you end up? Mom and Pop Diner's versus restaurant and fast food chains, except for In and Out Burger, of course. Skinny dipping during the full moon? Spontaneous kissing? Cold winter nights, with hot tea and a book? Fifty year old heavy clay coffee cups? Sitting, reading the paper, drinking coffee and talking about anything on Sunday mornings? Flowers for no reason? Random phone calls from me, just telling you I was thinking of you? And my favorite… 'SAS'?

Sam couldn't believe this… she sat in bewildered wonder, staring at him open mouthed.

"You remembered all that?" She asked meekly, and then took his hand.

"Well… yeah. How could I forget?" He said, lacing his fingers with hers.

She rose up and stood on her knees on the bed, and hugged him from behind.

"Okay, I remember, and want all those things too… there; we just did about four or so dates in thirty seconds. Sam, we've changed, sure. We're older… we've experienced a taste of life, but unless either of us have changed drastically…" He shrugged.

Sam thought for a moment, and then smiled. "Fine, but you're taking me out to dinner tomorrow… or tonight I guess." She said looking at the clock.

"Yeah, I've been up for twenty four hours and my bet is you have too. Let's get some sleep." He said, glancing at the clock himself, and then yawning.

Sam nodded, got off the bed and walked toward the hallway door. Fred was too tired to argue this time… he shook his head, but let her go without comment. He pulled down the covers, stepped into his closet and put on a pair of boxers. He was just lying down and pulling up the covers when Sam returned wearing a flannel nightgown, and crawled in next to him.

"Change your mind?" He asked sleepily.

"Can't sleep naked… forgot that, did-ja?" She murmured, adjusting the covers.

"Yeah… did…" He said quietly.

"Well?" She asked.

"What?" He whispered, half asleep.

"Are you going to hold me, or did I come back for nothing."

"Oh… sure… of course." He said pulling her against him.

The curtains in Freddie's bedroom are heavy, but there was a tiny bit of sunshine peaking in from around the edges. Sam opened her eyes, sat up and yawned, stretched and smacked her lips… looking around, she saw she was alone. She got out of bed, and went into the bathroom. Returning shortly she picked a robe up off the floor and draped it over her nightgown. She noticed the slippers from last night, and stepped into them. She was walking down the hallway when she began to smell it… cooking… breakfast cooking. Rounding the corner into the kitchen she saw Freddie just finishing placing a large plate of pancakes on a tray nearly covered with food.

"Oh, you're up! I was going to serve you breakfast in bed." He said.

"Put that plate down right now." Sam said sternly.

He did so, and then she put her arms around him; "Morning lover" She said into his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her, raised his eyebrows at her comment, and kissed the top of her head as a reply.

"Go sit down and we'll eat." He whispered.

"Partners are just that, Mr. Benson… Partners. My legs are not broken, although a tad sore… I can help." She said pulling away from him and grinning.

The pair of them set the table, sat and ate in relative silence. They did steal glances at one another, which produced wry smiles from both when caught.

"So, you want to go out tonight?" Freddie eventually asked.

Sam nodded over her coffee cup.

"Ever heard of 'Otto's Sausage Kitchen'?" He continued.

Sam shook her head, again, over her coffee cup.

Fred nodded.

"Best hot dogs in the Pacific Northwest… interested?" He asked.

"I haven't had hot dogs in forever! Yes, I am interested!" Sam exclaimed, her eyes opening wide.

"Good, then after, if you like, there is a mid 20th century horror marathon playing at this little theatre downtown. They do different marathons every weekend and play the movies continuously from midnight Saturday morning until midnight Monday. Sound good?" He continued.

She leaned across the table, and kissed him… both of them tasting of maple syrup.

"Well, I wasn't going to bring all this up yet, but here goes…" She said, sitting back down, and sighing.

"What?" He asked.

"Get back in that bathroom and pick up those wet towels and clothes. Hang 'em up in the shower to dry, and then I'll wash 'em and whatever dirty laundry you have. If I'm staying here, if we're going to put 'us' back together again, I'm helping do the cooking and cleaning… but, I'm not your mother, I don't pick up after you. Got it?" Sam said sternly.

"Yeah but…" Freddie started to say.

"And another thing, your mother, call her later today and tell her where you are and what you've done. She is nuts, but she'll be proud of you. At least you've got a mother that gives a damn, so we're not going to treat her like a stranger… Oh, and one more thing, I don't mind vacuuming, but it bothers my back. If my back hurts, you lose, you miss out." She continued.

"Huh? I've got a maid service, and…" He began again.

"Fire 'em. They've never cleaned behind the fridge or under most of the furniture. I've checked. I'll dust and stuff, maybe have 'em come once a month to wax and stuff… but you're vacuuming a couple times a week buster… if my back hurts, no nookie. Got it?" She ranted.

"Understood… but mom too?" He asked.

"She's the most important… yes; go call her, _right now_. I'll clean up the kitchen." Sam insisted.

Freddie sat back in his chair for a moment, expressionless… smiled, stood, mimicked a formal salute, pulled his phone out of his robe's pocket, and dialed.

-x-

IT'S A MASS POSTING!

Look for other updates or new posts by these fine authors:

TheWrtrInMe

DwynArthur

TheWrtrInMe & DwynArthur

SMAAD4Seddie

AnnieRocket

ExpressionsofAWriter

ThatSamGirl

Pigwiz

IAMCAGE

butterflylovesicarly

KingxLeon21

PrincessPurplee

Moviepal

Heartlines12

-x-

Check TheWrtrInMe's profile page for new additions and updates!

Annnd: Tell her thanks for organizing this!

THANKS!

(insert curtsy here)

-x-

More notes!

Some of you may have gotten a review reply from 'Happy Shoes'… no, my account has not been hacked. She's my sister in law. She was over for coffee, read my last update and a few other fics, logged in and left reviews. I didn't check to see who was logged in… and well, the rest is history. My fault, and my apologies for the confusion. Why did she pick 'Happy Feet' you ask? Well, I kind of helped. She has an amazing collection of shoes, and we're the same size! We both have 'Happy Feet'!

Thanks so much for all of you that have made this alerted or made this fic a favorite. Special thanks to all of you that take the time to review!

:pig~


	11. Put everything on the table

The Apartment

11: Put everything on the table

* * *

Sam had just begun rinsing dishes when she heard Freddie begin to stutter and stammer. She hadn't been listening in on his side of the phone call to his mother, but he was just sitting at the table, not ten feet from her. She turned off the water, dried her hands, walked over behind him and took the phone from his hand.

"Mrs. B! Sam here, how have you been? Your son and I have decided to try things out again and we wanted to invite you out to see the new house…

Yes, you can come anytime… there's a room for you… yes, stay as long as you want. Just remember what Mr. Franklin said about fish and house guests... right, I'll tell him… it's good to hear from you too… bye."

"Text her the address, she'll be here Monday evening." Sam told Freddie while handing him back his phone.

"I'm… I'm amazed I guess… I wouldn't have thought…" Fred started to say.

"Look, she's your mother… and that's all I should have to say about that." Sam replied snippily.

"Okay… can I help?" Fred asked.

Sam's reply was to hand him a dishtowel and point to the stack of dishes and pans she'd washed. They worked in silence for a moment, until Sam stopped washing silverware and asked: "So, you go by Fred now, huh. I can't blame you, but it'll take some getting used too. I'll try."

"Either is good…" He said shrugging.

Sam glanced over at him for a moment, and shrugged as well. They worked silently for a few more minutes until Sam sighed.

"What?" Freddie asked.

"You know what. There's an elephant in the room the size of Mount Rushmore. We kind of did things backwards again, and it's time to get all this out on the table." She said while putting down the remaining just washed silverware in front of him.

Fred looked at her for a moment… too long a moment. He nodded, pulled the two just dried coffee cups out of the cupboard and filled them with coffee. His black, hers with two and two…

"Let's do this sitting down…" He said carrying their coffee to the table and sitting down. He pushed her cup in front of the chair across the table.

Sam studied him for a moment, unsure what he was getting at with the 'sitting down' business. She turned off the water, dried her hands and joined him.

"So… what's wrong?" She asked after sipping her coffee.

"Yeah, you're right. We're ass backwards again, but that's no reason to leave, Sam." He said as he looked her in the eye.

"Who said anything about leaving? First, I wouldn't still be here if I thought this was a lost cause…" She started.

He started to say something, but she held up her hand to silence him. He nodded.

"Let me finish. We're not kids; this isn't about blazing hormones and trembling gropes. Sure, I'm very, very fond of you Freddie, and I truly think I could fall back in love with you easily, but I'm not there now… but, not all that far off either… I feel like I did when we were kids. I can't explain it. Did you know that I did all kinds of crazy stuff just to be around you? Look, Carly was a great friend, nearly a sister, and I did kind of live there when I was little just so I could get fed… but after I was older I was only there constantly because of you, so I could be around you." She continued.

"You're kidding." He said, amazed.

"No I'm not… I had it bad for you." She said staring at her coffee cup and slightly shaking her head.

"But, you dated guys… you went out and stuff." Fred stated.

"Sure I did… I did it to try to get a rise out of you! And then finally I realized guys are clueless." She said smiling up at him.

Fred had been studying her face and hands while she spoke. She wasn't nervous, she wasn't anything. She was stating how she felt… which frankly amazed him. It used to take days of conditioned actions and conniving to get her to say anything about her feelings. This was new ground, and he really, really liked it. He momentarily considered complimenting her on it, but decided against it. No sense getting off track, off subject, just yet.

"…so here's what I propose. Let's give this a while… see what happens. See if _we _work again. You know, we worked before. I was an idiot when I threw you out…"

He began to shake his head.

"…no! I was and you know it. I was a royal bitch to you… and I'm sorry."

"Sam, you're right, you were!" He grinned.

"Well, you didn't have to agree so quickly!" She said, chuckling.

"Do you believe in fate?" He asked.

She looked at him, thinking that the question was kind of cheesy, but also kind of accurate.

"I've never really thought about it… I don't know. Considering _this_…" making air quotes "…maybe… I've never considered us some kind of star crossed lovers meant to be… but here we are. I guess fate is as good a way to explain it as anything else." She reflected.

He looked at her for a moment, and then said; "Yeah, well I do. I believe in fate. And you're right; this isn't about raging hormones…"

"Blazing hormones… blazing." Sam interrupted, grinning.

Fred paused for a moment, smiled and continued; "…okay, blazing hormones… anyway, this… us, it's… It's about comfort, but not complacency. It's about being comfortable with you, trusting you… someone, I don't remember who, but somebody said '_Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.' _ And that's us… it's the way I feel anyway. Oh, and attraction… I certainly can _not_ say I'm not attracted to you. You're beautiful, sexy and, and…"

"Good in the sack?" Sam asked laughing.

"Well, I can hardly remember the sack, but the shower and bathroom counter? Yeah… you're great." He replied, laughing.

Sam sobered quickly. He knew something else was coming, but not what. He knew there was something else he wanted to say, but put it on hold until whatever was going through her head came out.

She didn't speak… she looked about the table, the room… if there hadn't been a roof over their heads she would have looked up into the sky. Confused, he decided to open his can, and tickle the worms.

"…and scary." He said.

Her expression 'popped'. He wasn't sure if it was disbelief or mild irritation. She pursed her lips, looked at her coffee cup then up at him.

"Scary? What? Scary how?" She quarried petulantly.

He didn't say anything… he just sat there '_gathering_'. She was starting to get… well, angry. Scary… she looked up at him doing everything she could to put herself in his place. Trying to keep from saying or doing something…

"Yeah, scary… look Sam, we had something good going on before. Yeah, I may have gotten jealous for a bit… may have… no, I did get jealous. We worked past that though… at least I thought we did. Things got better again, and then you hit me with the _space _thing. You needed space… I needed space… I don't remember which of us needed this space in your opinion. Probably both of us… all I can tell you is, it hurt."

"Oh… well in that context, yeah… scary. Me too… but it's obvious we both think it's worth the risk, so…" She replied.

Fred nodded.

"Do you know my sister would not talk to me for months after I threw you out? Heck, she wanted your phone number. I realized just how much I'd screwed up when mom approved. When she told me I'd done the right thing… That's when I knew I'd made one of those life changing mistakes you always read about. You know… there are two ways this will go. This relationship will either be an epic failure or we'll be together until we drop dead. I'm betting on the latter." She said.

Fred nodded, again.

"Also, this speed dating thing is a gamble. We're not the same people we were back then. Tossing both of us both into this so soon bothers me a little bit. But I can also see your point." She continued.

Fred wasn't exactly sure how he should respond to that, so he shrugged.

"So here's the deal Mr. Trouser Snake, we really don't need to go out tonight. However, you do need to run a couple errands. First, to the drug store to pick up a millennium pack of condoms. I'm not on the pill, but I'll make an appointment Monday and get that taken care of. Second, be thinking about what you want to eat tonight, and go to the grocery store and get it. I'm cooking. Okay?"

"Sure, perfect…" he said, mildly surprised.

Sam looked down at her coffee for a moment, obviously lost in thought. Fred watched her think. The way her mouth moved slightly… that was an old trait that had obviously lasted. The way her brow scrunched… he was waiting for the blink. The blink that told him she had made up her mind about something. The blink always followed a slight grimace… grimace, blink… decision. Ever since he'd known her, even as a child, when ever she had been in deep thought, considering something important, she'd always gone into this 'state'. This wasn't for normal day to day decisions… this near trance she was in only happened during the life altering ones. He continued watching her face…

A blink, but no grimace… she's not done yet. A slight nod… this was new, this nod. He wondered where it fell in the decision making process. She clenched her hands, unclenched them, took her coffee cup in both and raised it to her lips… then sat it back down without taking a drink. Another blink swiftly followed by a slight eye roll.

She chewed her bottom lip. That was important… the lip chewing. She was nearly finished. She nodded to herself again… scrunched her brow, glanced up at him, smiled slightly, nodded her head, scratched her arm, picked up her coffee and took a sip…

And stopped all movement, her expression serene, composed… beautiful. She grimaced, she blinked, and then she looked up at him, smiled and said with complete finality:

"I'm moving."

-x-x-x-

* * *

Okay! One more chapter to go on this one, and I hope to have it up sometime over the next two weeks. I've also updated what had been a collaboration, but is now just me finishing a story. The title is 'Until You're Mine Again' and I'm writing it under the collaboration name of 'Boxofpiglets'. Look it up, it's a fun 'M' rated read.

:pig~

=Required reading=

Anything by these fine authors:

KingxLeon21

Dwyn Arthur

heartlines

Moviepal

TheWrtrInMe

WhiteKnightro

WildPomegranate

-x-


	12. Revenge of the Garden Gnomes

_**And here we are… before you begin reading, open another tab in your web browser and search You Tube for 'U2 - Mysterious Ways LIVE'. Make sure it's the one from the 'Vertigo Tour, Chicago – 2005'. Once there, start the video, and come back to read.**_

* * *

And now, the final chapter of:

The Apartment

12: Revenge of the Garden Gnomes

* * *

Fred was struck dumb. They had just discussed this very thing. He studied her face for any indication of why she wanted to move. She was smiling… this made no sense.

"You're moving?" He asked.

"Yep…" She replied.

"But we just discussed this! Why?" He exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes, shook her head and then took both his hands in hers. "Well not out, silly. I'm moving into your… our bedroom. And, we're going to do it now." She said standing, releasing his hands, and walking into the apartment.

"Oh!" He said getting up and following.

The move took little time… there wasn't much to move. Except for a box labeled 'books' on a high shelf. It wasn't hers to begin with, she hadn't been able to reach it, and so she'd left it on the shelf when she moved in. Freddie could get it though, although he didn't want to.

Sam insisted, saying '…it belongs in the garage, then…'

A stepladder was fetched, set up, and Freddie stepped up a couple rungs to be able to retrieve the box. He took it in both hands, pulled it from the shelf, lost his balance and tumbled backward onto Sam, leaving everyone sprawled out on the floor, unconscious.

* * *

She awoke confused, her head slightly aching, and something nudging her left arm. She opened her eyes – everything was blurry, but gradually coming into focus. The 'thing' nudging her arm was a very short, bearded, pale looking fellow dressed in green trousers and shirt, with a tall cone shaped red hat. His eyes glittered. Something smelled like old socks burning – his pipe.

"Oi now… oi! Whater yer doin' litterin' up me green?" It said.

Sam stared at the little fellow for a moment, before replying; "Huh?"

"Whater ya doin' 'ere… don't get vis-tors genrly. Yer 'aven't a leaf blower, do ya?" It asked.

Sam stared at it, and then sat up. She saw she had been lying on her back in a small, open grassy area in a forest dell.

"Where am I?" She asked, still taking in her surroundings.

"Yer a female, ain't – cha? Ya gots soft bits." The little fellow said.

"What?" Sam said, turning back to look at the little guy.

"Teats, ya got teats. Ain't that wha' them are?" He said poking the side of her left breast with his index finger.

"HEY! Watch it!" She snarled, knocking his hand away.

"Well, what are ya then?" He asked again.

"Yeah, I'm a girl… a female." Sam replied while beginning to look about once more.

"Wha' kind? Wha' breed are ya? Ya only got two pins and no base! How does ya move about?" He asked loudly.

"Pins? Base? Breed… what?" She asked, confused.

"Yer pins… shanks. And wha aboot yer base? Wha' are ya?" The little guy asked, obviously annoyed.

"I'm a human, what are you?" Sam said.

"Ear now, hev a pull o this". He said handing her a stoneware jug nearly half as big as him.

She took the jug, and sipped. It was a harsh, but sweet, apple flavored concoction that immediately began to warm her from the inside out.

"A who-man… never heard tell o one… it's alright, it's alright… it's alright." He said.

She took a deeper drink from the jug.

"Can ya stand? Can ya cook?" He asked.

Sam nodded, and stood, then took another drink from the jug.

"Yea, drink up lassy, drink up… the boys'll be pleasured ta see ya comin' up the path. You'll be better n the barrel bunghole, I'll warrant… it's alright, it's alright… it's alright."

"Who are you, anyway?" Sam asked, beginning to walk off in the direction the little fellow indicated.

"Cadburry… Cadburry Happypants. Chief of the Foulcock Trouserstain Clan." Cadburry replied proudly while swelling out his chest.

Sam nodded, and continued walking; noticing that he had began to hum a tune as he walked directly behind her.

The little fellow was grinning as he watched the sway of Sam's hips… and quietly sang over and over; "…it's alright, it's alright… it's alright. She moves in mysterious ways…"

Sam found the tune catchy and began to hum it herself, eventually dancing along to the rolling beat, much to Cadburry's pleasure. Sam wasn't sure just what she was getting into, but she began grinning herself as she approached the campfire in the woods.

* * *

Freddie continued his visits with Sam in the hospital for a while, but gave up eventually. The doctors had said they weren't at all sure what was going on in her head… that all she had been suffering from was a long, successfully healed minor concussion from the fall.

All he, or anyone else could ever get her to do was sing softly as she sat in the visiting room chair:

"…it's alright, it's alright… it's alright. Never feed Gnomes bad mayonnaise…"

* * *

Fini

The Apartment

~and~

pigwiz

-xxx-


	13. Will she?

Alrighty then... so, I've had an indication that this is NOT the ending you were expecting. :)

Frankly, this ending was a kind of inside joke - I won't bother explaining that. If you were 'inside' you knew it, if not, you wouldn't.

What would you do if I decided to actually write an ending to this fic? It would take a while... Fiance, job(s) (yep, two now, and it's so cool!), life... these things all take their toll on writing time, with good reason. They're all more important.

So, should I, or not... you be the judge. I'll do something I actually don't do all that often... I'll bend to your wishes.

* * *

pigwiz

-xxx-


End file.
